With time I've learned that the media is my Frienemy. In times of worry I know I shouldn't watch but how can I resist when the answers are far less than the questions and worry I have.
The Frenemy I speak of will more often than not portray OUR HEROES as the bad guys. This Frenemy doesn't always gather the facts before reporting misleading details to the public.
As the wife of a law enforcement officer I know better than to watch the news.
As the wife of my husband my necessity to know that he is okay is much stronger then my will to turn to my Frenemy for facts I know will cause more harm than good.
As a woman that belongs to a small community of wives that share a common bond, a common worry, I turned to my Frenemy yesterday morning. An officer had been shot the day before. A quick google search led me to a few media clippings. Hesitantly I clicked to watch.
A "brave cameraman" is what the local media source deemed the man who put his own life in danger in order to catch "the action" as it unraveled. Brave? Yes but true bravery goes deeper.
If you ask me, brave is the officer who was shot and fought to protect the innocent until he physically couldn't. Brave are the officers who's lives were compromised to defend someone they'd never met. Brave are the friends and family of these officers who will see the footage of their loved ones in the moment when their worst fears came true.
The footage was raw. One officer shot and bleeding. Fighting for the safety of others. Fighting for his life. In one hand he held his wound and in the other his gun aimed at the gunman. The most haunting part was the look on his face. Yes, the footage was so close that you could see the expression on the officers face as he realized the severity of the situation. A second officer, without hesitation, put himself in the line of fire to help his fallen partner. A pedestrian helps to bring the wounded officer to safety. These are my heroes.
Officer Down. Officer Down. I feel a silence come over me just typing the words.
My heart goes out to the officer who was wounded, his family, and his fellow brothers in "blue" for the strength and courage they have been forced to withstand.
A strong need to tell my husband how much I love him came over me. Being that he was on shift my only option was to send him a text in hopes that he might read it.
Me: I love you with all my heart, all my soul, and all that I am. Be safe.
Hubby: Oh, thanks babe. I love you too.
Although I expected something a little more profound on his part i know he had no idea of what I had just seen. I wiped the tears from my face to look up and find my boss walking toward me. I was called to a meeting where no one noticed the tears I held back.
No comments:
Post a Comment