The Idaho Peace Officers Association is preparing to honor two officers who have passed away in the line of duty with special ceremonies Thursday night and Friday morning.  In addition to memorializing the fallen, four other officers, two from Boise and two from Idaho County, will be awarded with the Idaho Medal of Honor.

The memorial ceremonies begin Thursday at 9 p.m. with a candlelight vigil.  The official ceremony is Friday at 10 a.m. and will feature a speech from state Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, a former law enforcement official himself, plus a keynote address from Lt. Gov. Brad Little.

Since the annual memorial service was held in 2009, the names of two officers have been added to the wall; Adams County Sheriff's Deputy Monte "Leroy" Matthews, who died on July 6, 2009, as the result of a minivan hitting his patrol car, and Chief Deputy Joshua Eggleston of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, who died less than two weeks later, also as the result of an auto accident.

The Idaho Medal of Honor Commission, chaired by Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, announced Thursday the four recipients for the Idaho Medal Of Honor, saying that the men showed courage in the face of dangerous situations.  The two officers from the Boise Police Department, Clay Christensen and Scott Mulcahy, will receive their medals for their actions during a shootout in downtown Boise in 1996.  Deputies Carlos Martinez and Doug Ullmer, employed by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office, are being awarded because both men completed a daring rescue of a 2-year-old on the Clearwater River in July of 2009.  There have been 25 recipients of the award since its inception in 2005.  Along with recognizing the efforts of police officers, sheriffs, and state troopers, the award has also been given to firefighters and emergency medical technicians who showed exceptional bravery on the job.

In the medal announcement Thursday, Wasden lauded the work of the current award recipients.  “The courage and selfless commitment to the service of others demonstrated by these officers reflects the values that the Idaho Legislature intended when it created the medal,” Wasden said.  “Their deeds are a credit to law enforcement and an inspiration for other officers and all Idahoans.”

Both ceremonies will take place at the Idaho Police Officers Memorial, near the Idaho Police Academy Complex, at 700 S. Stratford Drive in Meridian.  The public is invited to attend both events.