After 31 years the badge has gotten very heavy. Being a Law Enforcement Officer isn't just a regular job or career, like a banker, teacher, store manager, etc. Putting on that vest, gun belt, and badge comes at a huge price. What he has seen, smelled, touched, held, heard would destroy most people. He and his fellow LEOs see people at some of the worst, scariest, lowest, evil, and heartbreaking times of their lives.
He has held the dead babies, seen the mangled bodies from car accidents, seen what is left after someone blows their brains out (pretty sure he has lost count on this one), helped bag up the week old dead body that has been rotting in the apartment with no AC in the middle of summer, notified people of their loved ones passing, tried to help the mentally ill transient...knowing that in our society there really is no hope for them.
He's been to calls where the parents are such drug addicts the kids ate ketchup, mayo, and BBQ sauce for dinner because there was no food in the house. He has heard kids begging to go to foster care because they can't sleep with the constant drug traffic or they are afraid mom or dad might pimp them out again to get a fix (now tell me drugs are a victimless crime).
My husband has attended quite a few victim autopsies, he has ran towards the gun fire, his first SWAT call out was the Lindhurst HS shooting with 4 dead, 9 wounded and the gunman had 80 hostages.
He has been punched, kicked, spit on, has had pee thrown at him, cleaned up every kind of bodily fluid there is out of the back seat of a patrol car. He has gone up against men with knives, people who want to kill him, people that want him to kill them, kids murdered and raped, women horribly beaten by their "man", even when they go back to the dirtbag the next day.
He has heard the "shots fired, Officer down" come out over the radio. He has had to listen to the media, politicians, family members, friends, and society demonize and turn their backs on cops.
He works out every week because you never know when you will be in a literal fight for your life, he sits facing the door when we go out to eat, always ready to protect us...the sheep. He and his fellow LEOs are the sheepdogs.
We have had many friends that are retired LEO's die fairly young, I swear this job can shorten your life.
He has worn that heavy gun belt so long he has had to have back surgery. His back will never be the same.
Many officers burn out, get injured so badly they can't return to duty, some people just didn't realize the cost of the job and quit. To make it to the end standing, while you still have love for mankind is rare. He has seen the worst in us, seen just how evil people can be and he can still treat people with humanity and respect.
After 31 years the badge has gotten very heavy. It is time to take the badge off. To not have to go to those horrific calls anymore. To hope and pray that time heals all wounds. The price he has paid has been great. I know he wouldn't have had it any other way. He has always seen it as God's calling for him to help hold the thin blue line.
So yes, I am PROUD of my Sergeant. PROUD to be called his wife. Thankful to GOD that he made it, well...2 more days to go.
Please say a prayer for the men and women who are still out there holding the thin blue line. If you see an LEO, thank them for all they do.
l Colleen l