Roll of Honor
Incident
Agent Journey was leaving his home in his assigned vehicle when he was ambushed and shot five times. As a result of the shooting Agent Journey received nineteen units of blood, some of which was tainted with Hepatitis C. Although he retired in 1992, his death in 1999 was a direct result of the blood tranfusions he received after being shot in 1977. The attempted assassination of Agent Journey in 1977 led to the uncovering of racketeering and corruption in Pierce County Washington.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-WA-16BC2CEB- Stewardship
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- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Investigator Journey gave the Washington State Liquor Control Board 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Olympia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Investigator Journey.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Investigator Melvin Royce Journey is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In WA, 19 of 339 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 5.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Melvin Royce Journey's cause is highlighted.
How Melvin Royce Journey Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Melvin Royce Journey is highlighted in Jan.