The Ultimate Sacrifice

I don’t talk too much about Hugh’s career in law enforcement here on this blog. I’ve touched briefly on the fact that he is a Reserve Officer on the small police force in our little town and about how he sometimes instructs newbie officers at the local training academy.

I don’t really talk about how he used to support us solely on a policeman’s salary or about how hard that time was on us as a young married couple. I don’t tell you about how little money he made or about how disturbing some of the things he saw were and, while I could mention the fact that he once saved the life of a six-day old baby or that he was the one to discover the body of a dear family friend while on duty; I don’t.

I don’t because those are the things that come with being married to a police officer and, I knew that going into it; I chose to support his choice of careers and, I did my best to be a good cop’s wife.

When Hugh made the difficult decision to leave full-time law enforcement in order to provide our family with a better income, more quality time together and better peace of mind; I also supported his decision to remain active on the Reserves because, once a cop, always a cop. I understood his need to remain loyal to his unofficial brotherhood.

Today, Hugh attended the funeral of one of those brothers, an officer killed in the line of duty. He wasn’t alone; hundreds of officers from every branch of law enforcement from every corner of our state and beyond also attended the funeral. They were joined by hundreds of members of our community, people who wanted to show their support for a man, an officer, a protector. They lined the streets of our town, hands over hearts, openly weeping, saluting a fallen hero.

Police officers are men and women who get up every morning, kiss their families goodbye and set out to protect the citizens of their communities. They want nothing more than to honor the badge, to set a good example for the public they serve and to foster a feeling of safety among it’s’ people before-God willing- returning to their loved ones.

Last Saturday, Sgt. David Kinterknect didn’t get to go home.

Today, he, and his entire brotherhood of law enforcement officers, were honored for their service; I just wish it didn’t take such tragedy to remind us of the sacrifices made by those who Serve and Protect.