Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Samuel Holcomb was killed when he was struck by a vehicle on I-40 in Dickson County at 6 am. He had stopped a suspicious vehicle, and as he was exiting his patrol car, he was struck from behind by a driver who had been blinded by the early morning sunlight. No legal action was taken against the subject. Trooper Holcomb was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Tennessee Highway Patrol for 13 and a half years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, his mother, two brothers, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-312BB035- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Holcomb gave the Tennessee Highway Patrol 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Tennessee, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Samuel Freeman Holcomb, Jr. served in the Navy (1972â1974) before joining law enforcement.
Trooper Samuel Freeman Holcomb, Jr. is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Tennessee Highway Patrol, 30 of 41 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Samuel Freeman Holcomb, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Samuel Freeman Holcomb, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Samuel Freeman Holcomb, Jr. is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
40 officers from Tennessee Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
