Behind the Scenes: Giving a Face to a Fallen Hero
In the mid-1990s, DEA unveiled a Wall of Honor memorializing employees who died in the line of duty. Retired Special Agent Richard Barrett tracked down eight portraits missing from the display, recovering the last image in 2022.
The new DEA Wall of Honor with commissioned portraits for all fallen heroes, including FBN Agent Andrew P. Sanderson, whose picture was discovered in 2022.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s first display honoring fallen employees featured a series of wooden shields engraved with their names and lifespans. Its prominent place at DEA Headquarters in the 1980s signaled a renewed effort to honor those lost in the line of duty. Once the agency moved to its current location in Arlington, Virginia, it was decided in the mid-1990s that a more formal, fitting structure would be built to pay tribute to the fallen heroes. This new “wall” would include an image of each person so all could remember them as they were.
Staff from the Operations and Intelligence divisions began the search for portraits. Despite exhaustive research, images of some lost to DEA and its predecessor agencies could not be located. When the Wall of Honor was unveiled in 1995, it featured placeholder images – the seal or badge of the agency or bureau that the individual worked for when they passed – for eight women and men.
Enter Special Agent Richard "Rick" Barrett. Barrett, who retired from DEA in 2003, was determined to help. Aided by retired Congressional Affairs staffer Colleen Whelan, Barrett conducted extensive research. By early 2005, he and Whelan had located the missing images of seven of the eight individuals. Only Federal Bureau of Narcotics Agent Andrew P. Sanderson, who died in the line of duty on September 23, 1944, remained on the Wall without a picture.
Barrett did not give up. Since FBN Agent Sanderson worked for an early predecessor agency of DEA, his credentials—which would have included a photo—were no longer on file. For years, Barrett continued the quest to locate the missing image and fill the last remaining gap on the DEA Wall of Honor.
While he searched, DEA Headquarters underwent an extensive renovation, and the Wall of Honor was reimagined. A timeless brass display replaced the Wall’s wooden frame in 2021. Newly commissioned portraits accompanied by an interactive kiosk now share the stories of each hero. Respectful 24-hour illumination invites passersby to reflect on those lost and ensure they are never forgotten.
In 2022 Barrett’s persistence paid off. He followed leads indicating Sanderson had been a member of the American Hellenic Education and Progressive Association. Barrett corroborated that Sanderson was both a member and an elected officer of the Kansas City chapter, the Heart of America Chapter 73. Sanderson was active there in the late 1920s and 1930s while he was assigned to the FBN Kansas City office. His wife, Olga B. Sanderson, was a member of the association's twin organization for women, the Daughters of Penelope. Agent Sanderson's image appeared in a 1929 Kansas City Star article for the Hellenic American Society Convention held in Kansas City in August of that year.
Today, Agent Sanderson appears alongside his colleagues on the new DEA Wall of Honor; his image no longer lost to time. The DEA Museum is grateful for Retired Special Agent Barrett's unwavering efforts to locate portraits of DEA's fallen heroes. Agent Sanderson’s photograph was unveiled at DEA’s 2022 Memorial Service, an annual event held during National Police Week. The Wall is now complete, depicting 87 women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for drug law enforcement and the nation.
The new memorial plaque for FBN Agent Sanderson, placed on the DEA Wall of Honor as part of the 2022 DEA Memorial Service during National Police Week.
The DEA Wall of Honor (mid-1990s – 2020) with seven fallen heroes represented by the seal of the agency or bureau they worked for at the time of their death.
The memorial plaque for FBN Agent Sanderson as it appeared immediately prior to the May 2022 DEA Memorial Service.
Kansas City Star newspaper article that features the photograph of FBN Agent Sanderson. The article mentions his work for the federal government.
The new DEA Wall of Honor with commissioned portraits for all fallen heroes, including FBN Agent Andrew P. Sanderson, whose picture was discovered in 2022.