NAUGATUCK – A borough-based embroidery company and a South Carolina textile manufacturer have partnered once more to provide emotional support and remembrance to the families of the Bristol police shooing last year.

Bristol police Lt. Dustin Demonte, 34, were shot dead last October after being drawn into an ambush by an emergency call about possible domestic violence at a residence. Sgt. Alec Iurato, 26, was wounded in the shooting and taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery for serious wounds. One of the two suspects, both brothers, was shot and killed on the scene while the other suspect was shot and taken to a hospital for treatment.

An Air Force veteran, former special agent and 9/11 responder who wishes to remain anonymous, started a blanket drive for the families of the Sandy Hook victims with the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, a nonpartisan, non-profit professional association.

Weavertec of Blacksburg, S.C., created American flag blankets that were shipped to Team Image on Church Street, where they were embroidered with the full names of Demonte and Hamzy, and the quote, “True Heroes Live Forever in Our Hearts.” Both companies previously collaborated to make blankets for Sandy Hook and Uvalde School shooting victims’ families.

Along with the blankets, the former special agent had coins donated through FLEOA from Ranger Industries, a veteran-owned company.

TWO COINS WERE EXPECTED to be given to each fallen officer’s family. One coin is engraved saying “Honoring the Passing of” and “For Service to a Great Nation.” The other coin is engraved, “It Is Not How These Officers Died That Made Them Heroes. It’s How They Lived.”

A coin also was expected to be given to Iurato with an engraving that says “Heroes Walk Among Us” along with an engraving of an image of a police officer and an eagle.

The armed forces veteran said he expected to bring the flags and coins to Bristol police community relations Lt. Robert Osborne on Friday.

Team Image Owner Vorrase said one of her customers walked in to her business wearing a “Bristol Strong” shirt as she was taking the blankets out of the packaging to start embroidering. Her customer stated that her husband was roommates with one of the slain police officers in the police academy.

“You see how here in Naugatuck, it affects everyone, no matter where you are,” Vorrase said. “It doesn’t matter that this is from Bristol, Newtown, Uvalde.”

Vorrase said it’s very important that police officers, firefighters and any first responders should always get the recognition that they deserve as they put their lives on the line every day.

“I’m just happy that we can be a part of it. I’m not looking for anything. I’m not in need of any recognition,” Vorrase said. “I’m just happy that I can provide a service that can hopefully make somebody feel a little bit better under the circumstances. It’s an honor for me to do the blankets for them.”

Ranger Industries Sales Director Russ Wilson, who is a former FBI agent and previous 20-year law enforcement officer, said the armed forces veteran gave him a call and when he heard about the fallen Bristol Police Officers, he jumped at the chance to help.

“Anything I can do to give back to brothers and sisters in blue, I’m more than happy to do so,” Wilson said. “I think it’s very significant that a few individuals at their own time, own money, came together to honor the fallen in any way possible. It’s a very small way to give back to those who give so much to us.”

The 9/11 responder said they don’t want to have to continue to do this. “It’s got to stop,” the former special agent said. “It’s just got to come to a screeching halt.”

“To a certain degree, it’s bringing light for people to see that people do band together, people do come together, bad circumstances, whatever it may be and there are people going through this out there so you look to the families,” Vorrase said. “You want to try to provide some kind of emotional support for them and I think that’s probably the most important thing here is just, we’ll remember, we won’t forget.”