Background

A note from a bike cop to a friend. He is described as "a man of few words, so he must have been really moved."

The Note

I can't begin explain to you how much it meant to me to have you stand along with that group and think of me. Yes, I would have loved to have been there [Catonsville 9 Rememberance]. As for that heckler on the balcony above you, yes, Viet Nam was more than 30 years ago. But, get over it, never! I have twelve reasons to never get over it. And, those twelve reasons are chiseled on that black marble wall in Washington, DC. Every time I smell gunpowder at the range, everytime I hear a helicopter, everytime I smell diesel fuel, everytime I hear people screaming...I'm instantly back there in that time of insanity. I don't want to go back there, but something so powerful pulls me back but only for a few moments. I seriously believe that if people like me don't speak up, then history will repeat itself. I can't forget, I won't forget. I have to remember for the sake of my kids. And, for the sake of my twelve friend's kids. At times like this, it makes me think of that old Peter, Paul and Mary song with the verse, "when will they ever learn".

Yesterday, I had to stand on the sidewalk of a residential area awaiting for the president's motorcade to pass by to go to the Brown vs Board of Education ceremony. On this particular block, the houses are very close to the sidewalk (no front yards). There was this former marine sitting on his front porch wearing his marine hat, tee shirt and flying his flag. He kept watching anti war protesters standing on the corner also waiting for the motorcade to pass. They were holding up anti war signs and this guy on the porch was just heckling them. After about a hour and a half of this, I couldn't take it any longer. Yes, the protestors were young and hadn't been in the military and the heckler had. He was a diehard President Bush fan. We got into a very spirited debate. I finally had enought of him and asked for someone to come by and relieve me so I could go stand somewhere else. After all the ceremonies were over and the motorcade had left, I saw this same guy walking towards me. I thought that maybe he wanted to continue our debate. But, instead he asked if he could shake my hand. He told me that the other bike cop who came and took my place had told him that I served two tours in Viet Nam, was wounded twice and refused to accept a medal because I considered it a prize for taking the life of a human being.

Commentary

Some day, if/when the powers-that-be teeter towards falling, we might want some of the cops to choose our side. True, all cops work for the State. But this note reminds us that some cops know what's really going on and are likely to side with the common people if circumstances force them to choose.