It was a great career. I wish I could have finished it on my own terms.
MMD, as an almost retired sergeant with a rural Sheriff's office, I appreciate the words.
That link does speak to something that the Police, and Fire Academies need to be spending more time on, IMHO.
Ya see stuff in these lines of work that the rest of the world doesn't, and couldn't believe if they did.
Ya do stuff in these lines of work that the rest of the world simply cannot imagine, no matter how hard Hollywood tries to scare folks in slasher flicks.
For me, it has all run together. 25 years of car wrecks, dead kids, drownings, o.d.'s, suicides, murders, beatings, rapes and other forms of human interaction leave you feeling somewhat lifeless at times. It definitely leaves you with a jaded opinion about human nature.
All that being said, if I was 21, and knew then what I know now at 48, I'd do it all over again, because I know for a fact, and have proof that there are 3 people out there in the world somewhere who's lives I changed for the better.
So it was worth it.