One of your trainees retired. Quote: “J.J. Miller was my training officer when I first came out of the academy,” Duckworth said. “I learned a lot from him

WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE

Sgt. Greg Duckworth retires

Things were bittersweet Friday for West Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. Greg Duckworth.

He had driven to Charleston earlier that day to turn in his badge and put a bookend on a 26-year career of service to southern West Virginia.

“It went by really fast,” Duckworth said. “It was a really good career and I learned a lot. I think that’s why it went by so fast.”

Duckworth grew up in Grafton as one of seven kids raised by a single mother.

“To land a career that would take me to the White House as a guard for the governor, that was truly a blessing,” he said. “I got to meet Bill Clinton at a National Governors’ Conference. I also got to meet Jesse Ventura and George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas.”

It was neat to meet a future president and a former wrestling star, but it was something truly special to get to spend time with their security, Duckworth said.

“They really knew their governors well,” he said. “You got an in-depth look at who they really were.”

Duckworth said it sounds clichéd, but he is going to miss serving the public and helping people.

“I got into this because my brother was murdered when I was 15 years old,” he said. “The guy who killed my brother got off because of sloppy police work.”

Times were good for Duckworth, but there were hardships, too.

“I like to say that I didn’t bring them home with me, but I’m sure that I did,” he said. “Luckily, God was always with me.”

Some of the hardest cases he ever handled were the deaths of small children and the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion, Duckworth said.

“The sunrise of the next day kept me strong through it all,” he said.

No career would be complete without some laughs and one story always cracks him up, Duckworth said.

“I responded to a stabbing one time and the suspect had one arm and two wooden legs,” Duckworth said. “I turned my head long enough for the guy to punch me in the face.

“I was bleeding out of my nose and mouth when backup showed up. They asked me who beat me up and I had to point at this one-armed, wooden-legged man. They never let me live it down.”

They probably didn’t jab at him too much, though, because he was a highly ranked officer. To help get him up through the ranks, a couple people really helped Duckworth out when he needed it most, he said.

“J.J. Miller was my training officer when I first came out of the academy,” Duckworth said. “I learned a lot from him and I learned how to be a leader from (former Troop 6 commander) Scott VanMeter. He’s running for sheriff right now, so he’s going to love that I’ve endorsed him in the paper.”

The thing that he learned that really stuck with him was simple, Duckworth said.

“Treat the good people good and treat the bad people like they deserve to be treated,” he said. “If they’re bad, but they’re trying to be good, you give them a hand. If they’re bad and they like to be bad, you put them in jail and don’t look back.”

When he wasn’t out protecting and serving local communities, Duckworth was a country singer.

“My brother, sister and I released singles nationwide,” he said. “We were known as Taylor Made. We were known nationwide and we performed at five of the Friends of Coal Auto Fairs. I still play and sing a little bit, but not like I used to.”

Duckworth said he doesn’t perform much anymore, but he still loves to write music.

As he looks back on his career, there are two things that Duckworth says he is most thankful for.

“I’m so thankful for my family and my health,” he said. “I’ve got two kids; one is 18 and the other is 13. I think they’re going to miss seeing the cruiser in the yard just like I am.”

Retirement doesn’t mean withering away in a rocking chair, Duckworth said. “I’m going to be the head of security of Glade Springs,” he said. “I’m really excited for that.”