A part of America died.
A piece of our country he swore to protect
Will be buried with him at his side.
The suspect who shot him will stand up in court,
With counsel demanding his rights
While a young widowed mother must work for her kids
And spend many long lonely nights,
The beat that he walked was a battlefield too,
Just as if he had gone off to war.
Though the flag of our nation won't fly at half mast,
To his name they will add a gold star.
Yep, somebody killed a policeman today
In your town or mine.
While we slept in comfort behind locked doors,
A cop put his life on the line.
Now his ghost walks a beat on the dark city street
And he stands at each rookie's side.
He answered the call, of himself gave his all
And a part of America died. (Unknown)
Detroit Police Officer Brian Huff Killed,
Four Other Officers Wounded.
This was the headlines I woke up to the Yesterday May 3rd,2010.
It's been a long time since I took off the uniform for the last time and pulled the pin, July 4th 1997 I declared my own personal Independence Day and retired after 25 years of service with the Detroit Police Department, but it still hits home when a Detroit Cop is killed in the line of duty, it's one of those things that you never get used to and I've had plenty of opportunities to get used to it. During my 25 years with the department their were 52 Officers killed in the line of duty, hell during my time in the academy and my first year on the street until I was confirmed as a REAL Policeman we experienced the worst time in Detroit Police history with 13 officers killed in the LOD. Needless to say my mother wasn't too pleased with my choice of occupation.
I didn't know everyone of the officers but I knew quite a few of them and three of them at one point or other were my scout car partners. You can leave the uniform behind but never the memories or the profession.
R.I.P. Brian
3 comments:
Been following your blog for only a few months. Didn't realize you are a retired Detroit Police officer.
First let me extend my thank you for serving the community. I'm happy you made it to retirement.
Being brought up in St. Clair Shores, I remember the '67 riots. My uncle was a Detroit Fireman at the time. Very scary time. Now living in Mt. Clemens, and don't even watch the local news on TV as it's so bad all coming from Detroit.
The news of the police officer killed in the line of duty hit home for us. You see, my grand-daughter went to pre-school with his son! I didn't know this until today when my daughter told us. What a small world we live in. Loved the poem you posted.
Looking forward to following you on your blog.
Reading this post gave me the chills. It's so sad to read anything about a life lost, but for those who choose police officer as their career it seems even worse. Thank you for your service to your community. Am glad you were one of the lucky ones who made it to retirement. We all need to be thankful for each day.
I'm in Mt. Clemens too, after living in Oregon for two decades. I've been back for a year now, and am appalled daily by the news out of Detroit. As the mother of a police officer (not in Detroit, fortunately, but I can guess how your mother felt!), the random and pointless nature of Officer Huff's death is ... sorry, I can't even find the words to describe it. Detroit is sick ... so bloody sick!
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