Losing a parent can be devastating for a child, especially when they are still very young and unable to understand why their mom or dad is no longer around. But you know what they say, it takes a village to raise a child, and the colleagues of a police officer named Justin Scherlan, who lost his life due to complications of an old injury he sustained while on duty, prove this to be right.

As the fellow officer left this world way too soon and his four kids were left without a father, over two dozen officers from the Amarillo Police Department in Texas decided to step in for the children and escorted to school so that they knew they were not alone. Neither the kids, nor their mom Jessica was aware of the big surprise.The most special of all was the surprise for little Jackson, who started first grade.

It was his first day of school, and the fact that he wasn’t alone on his special day meant everything to him. According to Officer Jeb Hilton, “everyone was having a terrible time regulating their emotions that day.” “It was simply one of those moments that truly grabs your heart, plus the fact that the family was surprised to see everyone there,” he added.

“As he arrived at school, sweet Jackson took his time thanking each officer individually by hugging them as they stood in a line at the school’s corridor.” “It was Jackson’s very first day of school ever,” Officer Hilton explained, “so we really wanted to be there for him and support him.”

This was a clear message from the officers that they will always be available to the Scherlan family. “On the job, we spend a lot of time together and go through a lot of difficult situations.” We consider ourselves family, and we wanted to show their family that they would be taken care of,” officer Hilton said.