A hero who gave his life for others laid to rest

Last week I attended the funeral of a deputy sheriff who was shot and killed while involved in a pursuit.

Hundreds of fellow officers, deputies, rangers, and agents from just about every agency you can think of arrived in full uniform with looks on their faces that would appear they had just lost someone they knew very well.

The fact is, most of these law enforcement officers had never met the deputy, but the feeling of loss was there just the same.

I watched as hundreds of men and women in uniform walked single file into the auditorium, casting a single glance toward the front where the body of the 25-year-old deputy lay in a casket.

I wondered to myself if anyone had told the deputy when he became a law enforcement officer that he was not only starting a "career" but also a new way of life? A job he could not just leave at the door when he went home to his family every night. A job where some people would hate him when he did his job.

Did he know he would be blamed for crimes when they happened and accused of being reckless when he attempted to apprehend the ones who committed those crimes?

Did he know that a man on death row would have weeks to think about his last meal when his own last meal may have been from McDonalds because he was running late, only to be shot and killed shortly after going on duty?

I felt the chill of silence that took over the large assembly as hundreds of officers stood at attention, saluting the body as he was carried from the building to be buried in the ground.

He had worked in a job where some people complain because you are driving too fast at the same time someone else is complaining you did not get there fast enough. A job where you get spit on for arresting someone's loved one, and screamed at by the family of the victim because you did not do enough. A job where you stand in the rain directing traffic when someone is in an accident. A job when you kick open a door to catch someone who harmed innocent people, knowing that person may be willing to kill you just for coming after him.

Had anyone told him, don't be seen, but be close by if someone calls you?

Don't be aggressive, but be ready to fight.

Don't ask off on Christmas to be with your small children because you have to protect the streets so everyone else can be with theirs.

Don't be scared, but don't be proud, make sure you are polite and smile, but be ready to die because that person just might be the one that wants to kill you.

My guess is the deputy knew all of this and chose to serve and protect the people of his community anyway. I am positive he knew the good that he could do, and the lives he could change was worth it all.

This deputy was a hero and will always be remembered for his service. There is a lot of good in this world, but we also live in an unforgiving world that requires some brave men and women stand in the shadows of the night ready to make that sacrifice.

I commend all of our law enforcement officers for the job they do every day, and I hope they know that what they do makes a difference in more lives than they will ever know.