l. douglas wilder, the first africa american governor in the country. the early leaders who guided the young republican through the global power that we are today came from here in virginia. now, it is our collective duty to lead this great republic into a prosperous future. i will say i think virginians are ready. every day they show their exceptional character. a few of those exceptional characters joined us tonight. on december 8th, we are joined by the peril of the officers in the state. on that day, virginia tech police officer was protecting the students and faculty. including my daughter who is at virginia tech. during a routine traffic stop, derek krouse was shot and killed. he was an iraq war veteran. he was a son, a husband and father of five. derek was a hero. derek's wife tina is here tonight. on behalf of the commonwealth, we pledge to you that derek's sacrifice will never been forgotten. [ applause ] >> and at that exact same time in blacksburg, another veteran turned law enforcement officer was facing a similar situation in caroline count