One of Us

In my life, because of Search and Rescue, I have proudly worked closely with Law Enforcement.  I was sworn  to serve and protect.  To defend the constitution of the United States.   I have worn a badge on my chest and carried a gun on my hip for more than a decade.  I have been a part of a department that has lost deputies to senseless violence. I have screamed at the news of their deaths, and mourned at their funerals. 

I only have a tiny taste of what it's like to be a police officer or a deputy, but I have a mighty respect for the job that every officer does.

And here's the thing.  They are your mother or father.  They are you brother or sister.  They are your son or daughter. They are your neighbor.  I am them.  They are me.  You are them.  They are you. 

These men and women that don the uniform do it because they care.  They care about their mother and father.  They care about their sister and brother.  Their son and daughter.  Their neighbor. 

Me.

You.

They are a member of the community in which they serve.  They CHOSE to serve.  They do the job that you can't do.  That you won't do. 

Because of you.

For you.

So when one of them is shot at… When one of them is attacked…. When one of them is killed….

Don't you get it?  It's one of US!  It's one of your own community.  It's your mother or father.  Sister or brother.  Son or daughter.  Neighbor.

Me.

You.