1 0 2……Today, for 102 families, this is not just a number located somewhere between 101 and 103….
It is the current count of our fallen Brothers and Sisters here upon the Blue Line. 102 men and women who, by the Grace of God, heard the same calling you and I have heard and answered. They were cops.
We wear the 35 to 40 pounds of gear. The scorching hot poly-rayon uniforms. Work in the blazing Texas sun. Freezing sleet, slush and snow. We patrol the Piney Woods, to the mountains of the Panhandle and back down to the beaches of Galveston.
Day, evening and night. Sometimes, all of the above. We get cussed out, cussed at, have all kinds of things thrown at us. We get hit, beat, stabbed, shot, run over, burned, car crashes some even drowned while saving another. Pick ourselves up and do it all over again.
Flip side? We get hugs and waves from little kids who still look up to us like we are some cape wearing Super Hero. We still have anonymous people buy our lunch one day. Someone leaves a small note on our patrol car, simply saying “Thanks”…..
I can tell you, sadly from first hand experience, when the tones go off and the Dispatcher says “Assist the Officer” or “Officer Down” your heart leaps and sinks and the same moment. Or, driving around and you hear the screams or the weak, broken voice of someone you may or may not know, calling, pleading for help….your help.
Equally, I can tell you, when your the one who’s been shot, been hit buy a car, been beat and all the crap in between, and your the one reaching for the mike, you can barely find the words….the most beautiful sound you’ll ever hear is the sirens and engines of your family busting their ass coming to you. (Tears here) No other feeling like it and it is one I would not wish upon anyone. Ever.
So, 102….with 65 more days remaining in 2015….God only knows how many more of us will fall. Surely we know, His voice will sound and one by one, we will be compelled to answer the ultimate call. Tears will fall. Hearts will break. Bag Pipes will play and flags will wave.
Well, one flag won’t. It will fold upon sharp points. Smooth and crisp. Held in the clutch of pure white linen gloves….gently delivered to a Wife, a Mother a Father in front of a child or children whom have been left behind. This moment, this solemn Duty, is gut-wrenching and full of heartbreak for all.
I’ll close with these simple thoughts and pieces of advice. Love every moment of life. Even the not so fun ones, like running errands, paying bills, grocery shopping…Love your family, love your church, love your friends and family. Give yourself a break from time to time. Never lose the fire in your eyes and the life in your heart. Hold onto those that are dear to you. For they, when the time comes, gives you motivation like none other to fight like a lion.
As sure as the sun will rise and set, so shall the tears come and go. So shall some of us who wear the Badge. We see it all. We hear it all. We feel it all. Hell, we even smell it all. This job we do is like none other. In fact, it is not really a job or even a career. It is a calling, a way of life. Challenging the very envelope of life and death itself.
For me, it has been and shall continue to be an honor and a privilege….I have walked, talked, laughed, ate with, worked with, cussed at, drank with, fought with and above all – loved and been loved by some of the finest damn cops this old world has to offer…..
Honor. Courage. Commitment. Not just words. A way of life.
