The "James 'Terry' Watson Memorial Highway":
More than than a memorial for a life lost, but a reminder of a life lived.: One man's passion for adventure and helping other led to a life of service both at home and around the globe: The story of James 'Terry' Watson

In Richland Parish, Louisiana lies a stretch of LA. Hwy. 183, also known as the “James ‘Terry’ Watson Memorial Highway.” Named for a fallen DEA agent and Richland Parish native, the road is more than just a memorial for a life lost, but a reminder of a life lived. Born in the town of Holly Ridge, Louisiana to parents Paul and Henrietta Watson on December 9, 1970, Terry Watson had a heart for adventure. Growing up, Watson “enjoyed riding motorcycles,” as well as “traveling, snow skiing, and running which he continued to enjoy all of his life.” Watson soon developed an interest in law enforcement, and set upon a path that would take him on an international journey as a law enforcement officer and eventual federal agent.

Watson began his career as a Richland Parish Sheriff’s deputy where he later transitioned to working in narcotics investigations. During his tenure at the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office, Watson was also a student, attending Northeast Louisiana University where he pursued a degree in Criminal Justice. After Watson earned his Criminal Justice degree, he joined the United States Marshal's Service, where he was then assigned to work in Biloxi, Mississippi. Following two years of service with the US Marshal’s, Watson “achieved his lifelong goal and was hired by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in which he devoted 13 years of service.” As a federal agent, the nature of Watson’s work was often incredibly hazardous . In his three deployments to Afghanistan, Watson was involved with “conducting dangerous counter-narcotics missions as a member of DEA’s FAST program.” The FAST program, Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Team, “deployed specially trained DEA agents to work alongside U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and NATO forces” to “identify and dismantle Afghanistan's top drug traffickers, disrupt the opium and heroin trade, and cut off financial pipelines supporting terrorist organizations.” Watson’s work was invaluable both at home and abroad, stifling both the spread of illegal drugs as well as quelling the activities of terrorist organizations through the disruption of their financial support. 

Unfortunately Watson would only be able to make so much of an impact before his life was tragically cut short at forty-two years old and after thirteen years of service with the DEA. While on assignment in Bogota, Colombia as part of a drug-smuggling investigation, Watson would be attacked while riding in a taxi cab as part of a robbery scheme. While inside the cab, Watson was assaulted with a stun gun and then stabbed with a knife. Although he was able to escape from the cab, Watson would collapse and succumb to his injuries in a hospital. Despite the devastating circumstances surrounding his death, Agent Terry Watson’s life and service are the most important of his story.

Travelling to dangerous places like Afghanistan and Colombia were assignments that Watson volunteered for, and as his family wrote in a statement after his passing, “[v]olunteering and taking those risks were part of his character and demonstrate the type of person he was.” Watson was determined to make a difference in the world, and was willing to place himself in harm’s way to do so. Hopefully when people drive past the “James ‘Terry’ Watson Memorial Highway” sign they will remember his name, and take the time to look him up the next time they have a free moment. When they do they will see the life and legacy of a man who dedicated himself to making the world a little safer for all of us. According to his mother, Henrietta Watson, “her son traveled the stretch of highway almost every day of the first 22 years of his life. It was the road that brought him home.” The notion that the section of roadway named after Watson was the same that he traveled as a young man is nothing but bittersweet. James ‘Terry’ Watson was more than just a DEA agent, he was a husband, a brother, and a son. Perhaps most importantly though, he was a man from a small town in Louisiana who craved adventure and wanted to help others. He found a way to combine those two passions by leading a life of service both at home and around the globe.