NORTH CANTON, Ohio — "Sirens blaring, and I didn't know what was going on," said Rockney Lee, describing want happened on this 90th birthday.
It was the best birthday of all. That’s because the Ohio State Highway Patrol Canton Post went the extra mile to surprise the 90-year-old veteran with a ride along in a patrol car.
"Mr. Lee's daughter, Brenda, is my barber, and she was telling me that her father was going to have his 90th birthday coming up and that she wanted to do something special for him," explained Trooper Matthew Poremba.
A simple request for a trooper hat turned into so much more.
"This is something I dreamed of, being a highway patrolman," Lee said.
For an hour, Rockney lived out his dream, traveling the interstate on patrol with Poremba.
"I was looking at watching the people, and all you see was red lights and tail lights coming on down the road, people slowing down, you know?" Lee recalled. "I mean, just the presence of a highway patrolman makes the people slow down."
"Mr. Lee had a smile the whole time I talked to him the next day," Poremba added, "and I was told by his family that he called everybody to let him know that he finally got to live his dream out."
The timing never worked out for Rockney to become a trooper — he joined the Air Force during the Korean War, met his wife, and raised a family. On this day, he received a state trooper patch and a challenge coin.
"I think the highway patrol really saves people's lives by just being an appearance," he says, "and that's why I respect them so much."
He even visited his new friends last Saturday during the patrol's open house. He tells us the ride along is one of the best things that has ever happened to him.
"I get emotional," he admitted. "I'm thinking about them taking their time to enjoy my birthday with me, and I really appreciate that."
And an interesting fact: The Ohio State Highway Patrol was founded in 1933, making it — like Rockney — 90 years old.