Senior Trooper Jason D. Kaine

     It is an honor and a privilege to be here talking to you today about my friend, Jason Kaine.  Everyone here knows that Jason was a devoted husband, a proud father, a loving son, a caring brother, and a first-rated friend.  We also know that Jason was an exemplary Vermont State Trooper, a decorated Army Veteran, and a skilled house painter.

     Besides the above attributes, Jason was also unique in several other aspects. With Jason, you always knew that what you see is what you get.  He had an authentic personality that made it impossible for him to be diplomatic and to “Candy Coat” anything.  He told you how he felt, right when he felt it, and he didn’t think twice before saying it.  Of course, he told you his opinion whether you wanted it or not!

     As a Trooper, Jason projected a certain image that he tried to maintain – this was that of a tough guy, rough talking, hardened to the core, grumpy young man that would argue with the best of them and complain about anything that he could come up with.  Unfortunately for Jason, those of us that knew him well enough could see right through this Jason Facade.  I think Dave Bark said it best recently that Jason would say a lot of things just for the “shock value”, as he was a connoisseur of a fine argument.

     There were many occasions when I as well as some others here have “caught” Jason in a tender moment with his wife or kids and have seen the teddy bear underneath all that tough guy-hype.  I have seen his eyes get a little misty at the mention of his kids, but he would quickly catch himself and change the subject by busting your chops about something you did years ago that he for some reason can still remember.  Jason would put that Facade back up, to protect his secret from the guys.  I’m going to tell you that secret today: Jason really was a compassionate, loving, and sensitive guy!

     What Jason did not hide was his humor, whether he meant something to be funny or not.  For example, let me take you back to a night in late February 2000 when Jason was going through the Vermont State Police Pre-Basic training.  Jason was among his fellow 69th Academy Class recruits at the Vermont Police Academy getting tortured by the drill instructors.  After the recruits were worked up to the point of physical exhaustion, as well as a foul physical odor, they were instructed to take a PT shower.  This is more or less a 30 second run through the water, just enough to get you a little soapy and then get out.  Jason and the others did as instructed. Thirty seconds later, they were given the command to get out and get on line in the hall. Jason, being a guy who would follow orders to a T did as he was told. Jason exited the shower, went out into the hallway, and stood on line at the position of attention.  Jason’s fellow recruits did the same, but with one exception.....they used some of their thirty seconds to dry off and put on some clothes.  Oh yeah....Jason stood there dripping wet and buck naked, exposed to the world and the DI’s.  I guess in his defense, he followed the orders exactly!  I can still hear Jason laughing about this saying something about how they never said to get dressed!  I can imagine that a memo went up the chain of command on this saying something like, “Future Supervisors beware!”  We’ll have to ask Wagenbach, Ambroz, Barber, Desany, and the rest of Jason’s classmates about the punishment they received for Jason’s antics!

     After graduating from the academy in May of 2000, Jason was assigned to the St. Albans barrack.  I graduated from the academy with the following class in November 2000 and was also stationed in St. Albans.  Our paths crossed for the first time during my first or second week of Field Training.  My FTO Joe Paquette and I responded to back up Jason and Craig Gardner at a domestic type of call.  Jason was already there, always first to arrive to a hot call, and was dealing with the offender, who I’ll call Richard.  Richard had consumed numerous adult beverages and had assaulted his wife.  Then Richard said, “I have warrants on me, but I ain’t going with you”.  After Richard refused to comply with orders, and I was thinking, now what do we do, I felt a breeze and saw a green and gold blur whiz by me.  That blur was Trooper Second Class Jason Kaine. Richard was “assisted” to the ground, handcuffed, and given a short, Jason Kaine style-fireside chat about respect and listening to Troopers!

     I was then tasked with assisting Jason in bringing Richard to jail for the night.  I remember being all pumped up from the incident, physically unable to relax, shaking like a leaf from the adrenaline dump and unsure of what to say.  I then looked to Jason to see if he was thinking the same things.  What I saw was Jason driving with one hand on the wheel, one hand on his Dunkin Donuts coffee cup, his seat reclined back, and he was laughing to the point of tears.  Jay would repeat the work “dink”, like he never heard it before and then laugh again hysterically, almost driving off the road.  I’m not sure if Richard meant this to be funny, but I think even he was laughing when we got to the CC.  Jason’s laugh was that infectious.  I learned two things that night from Jason that will last me throughout my career: 1) when push comes to shove, Troopers shove harder and win, 2) although potentially dangerous, this job is fun.

     And Jason definitely had fun on this job.  Jason was a member of the VSP Honor Guard, he was most recently appointed as a Training Assistant at the academy, he loved stopping cars, he was dedicated to stopping drunk drivers, and most importantly, he loved his coffee breaks at Dunkin Donuts!  Oddly enough, there is a story that mixes the Dunkin Donuts coffee break and catching a drunk driver, down here in Brattleboro.  Jason would only drink Dunkin Donut coffee; he wouldn’t touch the stuff at the barracks.  So one weekend night Jason goes through the drive-thru for a cup of java.  Jason is second in line and he has his window open, ready to pay for his coffee and move on.  However, Jason notices an odor rising above the smell of his medium regular.  The odor is that of alcohol.  Jason follows this odor to the car in front of him, tells the driver to pull over and wait, Jason pays for his coffee and then ends up processing the driver in front of him for Driving Under the Influence.  Talk about having a nose for DUI’s!

     The funny stories and memories of Jason, things he has done and said, could have me up here for hours.  However, I will stop there for now.....rest assured that Joyce, Liam, Lucas, Karen, Jeff and Stephen will hear all the rest of these funny stories for years to come.  Some of them may have to wait however, until Liam and Lucas are a little older.  Jason’s eloquent style of articulation would be a little damaging to their ears at their young age!

     Light hearted stories aside, Jason has waged a courageous 3 year long battle with a disease that humbles the toughest, is indiscriminate in who it infects, and has caused him, his family and friends pain, both physical and emotional.  However, what it has not done is take away who Jason was or change how he lived.  I will always prefer to remember Jason for how he lived, and not how he died.

     In closing, Troopers often refer to each other by their cruiser numbers and not their names; Jason’s cruiser number was 527.  The Vermont State Police are retiring Jason’s cruiser number, 527, as he will be the last trooper to ever use it.  On Jason’s behalf, I will call his cruiser number off duty for one last time.

“527 BRATTLEBORO, 10-42”. 

     God Bless you Jason, we’ll never forget you or your family.