To all the Fallen Heroes

First off let me say that my thoughts and well wishes go out to all feeling the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Luckily it looks like losing power for a few hours and some minor damage to a few items seem to be all it has done to my house, but winds are still rough here so I am not cleaning up any tree limbs yet and watching to make sure no more come down.

As most of us are concerned about those in the path of the storm I have been thinking more of a local family touched by tragedy and felt the need to vent my frustration and feelings. Yesterday while doing his job like every other day a young man lost his life. Twenty seven year old Daniel Golden a Huntsville, Al Police officer was shot in the head and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance. While this was the first Huntsville officer killed in the line of duty in 40 years and only the 8th one in Huntsville history that is little comfort to his wife, a Huntsville Paramedic, or his two step children.

From Huntsville Times “According to police sources who asked not to be identified, Officer Golden was responding to a call about a Hispanic man beating his wife with a gun. The man shot Golden in the head as soon as the officer stepped out of his cruiser, the sources said, and then shot him again.” I did hear on news at 10 pm last night that the man who was from Mexico was taken into custody.

Those that know me know that I have never been a fan of the majority of Law Enforcement. Having had my life and that of my family and friends touched by the small majority of Officers that unfortunately give them all a bad name, I lost a lot of respect for the badge. That is not to say that I dislike all officers or disrespect them. In fact the exact opposite is true and yesterday is a perfect example of why. While I no longer feel quite as strong a level of respect I do still respect them highly for the fact that they are out there risking their life every day. While there are some crooked and just generally dishonest ones they are still the small minority in a field that for the most part takes not only a lot of Guts, Physical, Mental and Emotional Strength it does take a high level of integrity to enforce all laws equally.

For every Scott Anderson, A Huntsville Officer convicted of murdering a young lady I knew, there are dozens if not hundreds of officers like Officer Golden. Individuals that know every time they pin their badge on it may be for the last time, but they still go out there to Serve and protect each and every one of us. While the badge has been tarnished all too often in recent years it still a career that deserves our Respect and Thanks.