Tony Radulescu grew up in a communist country, and then grew to love the Puget Sound area as he became the first Romanian emigrant commissioned as a Washington State Patrol Trooper.

We're learning more about the trooper who was killed by a man, with a felony record, during a traffic stop early Thursday along Highway 16 in Gorst.

Part of the picture of who he was comes from an article written by Sergeant Mark Couey for The Washington Trooper magazine.

In 1977, Radulescu's father called a family meeting because he wanted his kids to have a better life than he had known under communist rule.

"My dad was very smart, thank God, so we were able to figure a way to get out," Radulescu said in the article.

After years of rejected paperwork, harassment and bureaucracy, Radulescu and his father fled the Socialist Republic of Romania. They got on an airplane with only two suitcases and "high hopes."

Arriving in the U.S. as a teenager he recalled being awestruck by so many choices, so many cars, so much food, and such great freedoms.

After finishing high school back East, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Lewis. He remained in the reserves for many years. He graduated with the 79th cadet class on July 30, 1996.

On the Officer Down memorial page for Radulescu, troopers and fellow military members from all around the country are honoring his service. The site also lists all 27 Washington State Patrol troopers who died in the line of duty, dating back to 1923.

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