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First Posted: 10/29/2014 Leigh Ann Balchune, 36, and her two sons Josh, 6, and Jake, 3 are still reeling from the ambush in Pike County that left one state trooper dead and another wounded six weeks ago. The search for suspected shooter Eric Matthew Frein is still ongoing to this day.
The Balchune family of Duryea has made it their mission to remind everyone of the daily sacrifices state troopers make by hanging nearly 200 black and blue ribbons all over Duryea on light posts, street signs and the &#8220;Welcome to Duryea&#8221; signs.
The attack hit closer to home when Leigh Ann&#8217;s brother, a corporal in the state police, was called upon to assist in the manhunt.
Frank Balchune is stationed in Gibson, a little less than 90 minutes from Pike County where the shooting happened.
Since the shooting, Leigh Ann said she is constantly monitoring the search for Frein while at the same time keeping her brother&#8217;s safety in mind.
&#8220;Everyday I have to watch something on the news to see where we&#8217;re at,&#8221; said Leigh Ann. &#8220;Obviously (my brother) can&#8217;t give me all the details, but we keep in contact all the time because as soon as I hear something, any little thing, I&#8217;m contacting him, texting him to make sure everything is okay and that he&#8217;s okay and that our friends are okay.&#8221;
Leigh Ann noticed other towns showing their support for the state troopers and decided to do something herself.
&#8220;I actually saw other towns participating, so I decided to take it upon ourselves to go ahead and do the same thing,&#8221; said Leigh Ann. &#8220;I went to some local business in Duryea and asked for some monetary donations, so I could go to Tomlison&#8217;s Floral and they made the bows for me.&#8221;
Leigh Ann received donations from Tomlison&#8217;s Floral in Old Forge as well as the Son&#8217;s of American Legion Duryea Post 585, Family Prescription Counter Center and the Duryea Neighborhood Crime Watch.
Before the Balchunes could take action in hanging their ribbons, Leigh Ann first needed permission from the Duryea Borough, which they agreed to. From there it was just her and her two boys hanging the ribbons all over town.
Leigh Ann said that Frank has participated in the manhunt numerous times and was called the night of the shooting. She said the first two weeks of the search for Frein had her brother out in the woods everyday assisting in the search.
Today, Frank continues his role as corporal, but is called upon to assist the search when needed.
Leigh Ann recognizes the support the state troopers have received in the primary areas of the manhunt, but said she still wanted to do something in the local area.
&#8220;I just wish this crazy manhunt would end already,&#8221; said Leigh Ann. &#8220;It&#8217;s taking a toll on all of them up there&#8230; it&#8217;s nice because he does tell me about the things that people are doing for them up there and the support they&#8217;re getting from all of the people up that way. It&#8217;s nice to hear, so I just wanted to do something nice for them down here. I know we&#8217;re a little ways away, but we still think about them and pray for them.&#8221;
It is for the love of their uncle that Jake and Josh happily agreed to help their mother in hanging the ribbons around town, as Leigh Ann said the boys love their uncle like a father figure.
Wearing their Pennsylvania State Trooper T-shirts, it is no secret that the young brothers are always thinking about their uncle and how much of a hero he is to them as well as remembering all state troopers.
Josh said he is happy with the work he and his family have done.
&#8220;We did pretty good,&#8221; said Josh. &#8220;I helped and this was for the state trooper that got killed.&#8221;
Josh already knows that he wants to keep the Balchune family name in the state troopers by joining the force himself when he grows up.

Ribbons for the troopers