He Had Two Years On. He Didn't Come Home. — A Memorial Flag for Officer Osmar Rodarte
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I was in Nashville when I got the message.
It was March 2025. I was attending a union conference, hundreds of miles from my shop in Elk Grove. My phone buzzed with a message from Kyle — a Sacramento Police Officer and a previous customer.
Kyle and Osmar Rodarte had gone through the academy together. They were brothers in the way that only law enforcement truly understands — forged in the same crucible, bound by the same oath.
Osmar Rodarte was 27 years old. A military veteran. Two years into his career with the Marysville Police Department. He was killed in the line of duty serving a search warrant.
He didn't come home.
Kyle was devastated. And in his grief he reached out to me — not for words, not for condolences — but for something tangible. Something that would honor his brother's sacrifice and ensure that Osmar Rodarte's name would never be forgotten.
He commissioned two flags.
One for himself. One for the Marysville Police Department.
I came home from Nashville and went straight to the shop.
There are pieces you build because someone wants a gift. And then there are pieces you build because someone needs to grieve — and doesn't know any other way to do it.
These were the latter.
Two 16x30" thin blue line flags in maple. Osmar's exact Marysville Police Department badge precision engraved on each one. His name. His department. The thin blue line of epoxy running through the center — representing the line he walked every day until he couldn't anymore.
I built them with everything I had.
A few weeks later something unexpected happened.
Kyle and I were meeting at the Sacramento Police and Sheriff's Memorial — a place that honors the fallen officers of our region. KCRA Channel 3 was already there that day, filming a piece on the memorial's restoration.
Reporter Erin Heft saw the flags. She asked if she could tell the story.
The piece aired on KCRA Channel 3. You can watch it here: KCRA 3 Article
I've been in law enforcement for over 20 years. I've seen colleagues promoted, retired, and celebrated. I've also seen names added to memorials.
Osmar Rodarte was 27 years old. A veteran who survived combat only to be killed on a street in Marysville, California. He had two years on the job — barely enough time to find his footing — and he gave everything.
The flag I built for the Marysville Police Department hangs somewhere in that department right now. I don't know exactly where. But I know that every officer who walks past it knows his name.
That's why I build these pieces.
Not for the occasions that are easy to celebrate. But for the moments when words aren't enough — and a brother officer needs something to hold onto.
If you need a memorial piece for a fallen officer, a tribute flag for a department, or simply something worthy of a career spent in service — I'm here.
Every piece is built with the same pride carried on the job. Because anything worth doing is worth doing right.
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About this piece:
- Two 16x30" thin blue line flags
- Material: Maple
- Blue epoxy line inlay
- CNC engraved Marysville Police Department badge replica
- Officer Osmar Rodarte memorial piece
- Handcrafted in Elk Grove, CA