{"id":261753,"date":"2026-05-07T08:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T08:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/261753\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T08:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T08:57:08","slug":"st-lucie-county-sergeant-honors-fallen-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/261753\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Lucie County sergeant honors fallen officers"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 In law enforcement, some of the most important work happens after the call is over.<\/p>\n

For St. Lucie County Sheriff\u2019s Office Sergeant Matthew Brewster, that work means standing beside grieving families and honoring fallen heroes with unwavering precision, discipline, and heart.<\/p>\n

A Marine Corps veteran and former SWAT team member, Brewster now serves as the agency\u2019s Honor Guard Commander \u2014 leading a team responsible for paying final respects to officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you have one opportunity to honor that fallen hero,\u201d Brewster said. \u201cFor that family they\u2019re pouring their hearts out crying, and you have to make sure you keep it together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Honor Guard performs ceremonial duties at law enforcement funerals, where every movement \u2014 from the cadence of footsteps to the final salute \u2014 is carefully practiced and executed without error.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no room for mistakes,\u201d Brewster said. \u201cYou only get one chance to do it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Brewster\u2019s path to leadership began long before he joined the sheriff\u2019s office. He enlisted in the Marines shortly after the September 11 attacks and later served on a SWAT team before transitioning into his current role.<\/p>\n

Today, his mission is different but no less demanding.<\/p>\n

He has led some of the region\u2019s most high-profile line-of-duty funerals, including the service for Indian River County Sheriff\u2019s Office Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, who was killed while responding to a call. The funeral drew national attention and an overwhelming outpouring of community support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching them pour out their hearts and cry she was such a huge impact,\u201d Brewster said. \u201cIt was one of the most amazing outpourings of a community I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The responsibility can be immense \u2014 large crowds, constant logistical changes and the emotional weight of the moment. But Brewster says the mission never wavers honor the fallen flawlessly.<\/p>\n

That commitment is what colleagues say sets him apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s really dedicated to the cause of honoring those who have lost their life in the line of duty, and he takes it to heart,\u201d said Deputy Chief Michael Beath.<\/p>\n

Under Brewster\u2019s leadership, the St. Lucie County Honor Guard has grown into one of the most recognized teams in the state, known for its rigorous training and professionalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just don\u2019t get a fancy uniform and go out there and perform,\u201d Beath said. \u201cIt takes discipline, training and an understanding of what it means to the families.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Brewster, the role is not about recognition or advancement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a steppingstone for promotion or \u2018look at me,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThis is how we honor our fellow brothers and sisters you need to have the right heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of purpose extends beyond his official duties. Brewster mentors young people, leads community and faith-based groups and supports fellow deputies coping with loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s service before self,\u201d Beath said. \u201cHe puts the community before himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when tragedy strikes, Brewster and his team are ready \u2014 prepared to stand tall for those who gave everything.<\/p>\n

Despite the heartbreak that comes with the role, Brewster calls it one of the greatest honors of his life.<\/p>\n

For him, the mission is simple: every fallen hero deserves to be remembered \u2014 the right way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 In law enforcement, some of the most important work happens after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-261753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}