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{Straight From the Heart} *In the Line of Duty* 7/26/00
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IN THE LINE OF DUTY

By: Joseph Walker


This isn't supposed to happen.

The good guys don't die. They may get hurt occasionally. They may even spend a little time in the hospital now and then. But in the end they always pull through, and like Sir Launfall of ancient legend, "rise and fight again."

Don't they?

Evidently not. Here in our community, one of the good guys -- a police officer -- died in the line of duty last week. Not too long ago a local fire fighter suffered a similar fate. These things aren't supposed to happen. And yet they do -- with alarming frequency. Or at least, they
happen often enough to remind us that there are heroic men and women in our communities who put their lives on the line in our behalf every day. And there are families who send them off to do our public business, knowing deep in the back of their minds that each good-bye may be the last.

Why do they do it? What drives them?

Certainly it isn't the money. For some reason that I've never really understood, contemporary society doesn't value those who protect and serve -- at least, not like we value those who entertain us. According to my rough calculations (and believe me, any time I start playing with numbers, the results are going to be rough), the amount of money that is
paid each year to one all-star caliber power forward in the NBA could pay the annual salaries of more than 600 police officers or fire fighters.

I'm no social scientist. I don't know what that means. It probably has to do with free enterprise and public sector funding as much as it has to do with the relative merits of standing up to drug dealers and arsonists as opposed to taking a hard charge from Shaquille O'Neal -- and believe
me, that's not a discussion you're going to hear here. It just seems out of whack to me.

Nor are society's guardians honored and revered for the role they play in keeping our neighborhoods safe. Nobody asks for their autographs, nobody flocks to the mall when they make a public appearance. Instead, we complain when the performance of their duty inconveniences us. We bicker publicly about providing more money for better salaries, training and equipment. We call them names -- most of them unpleasant. And then we wonder why they never seem to be around when you need them.

No, the reasons for choosing a career as a law enforcement officer or a fire fighter have little to do with money or fame or glory. It isn't about security, or prestige, or respect or any of the other things that motivate so many of us in the selection of our life's work. In fact, it may be difficult for some who are bottom-line driven to understand why anyone would choose a career fraught with so much frustration, sacrifice and risk, and so few substantive rewards.

The best answer, it seems to me, was expressed during last week's funeral for our fallen police officer. Said his brother: "Michael just liked to help people."

It's probably that simple -- and that complex. Every day men and women all around the world put their lives on the line at jobs for which they receive precious little compensation beyond the satisfaction that comes from doing something for someone else. That's what motivates them. And for that, we should all be thankful.

Especially when things happen that aren't supposed to happen.

Joseph Walker
valuescom@juno.com

Send Joseph an email and let him know what you thought about his story!

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A little bit about Joseph:

Joseph Walker has been writing professionally since 1980, when he left college to join the staff of a daily metropolitan newspaper. For 10 years -- including six as the paper's TV columnist and critic -- he was part of the mainstream media, and was painfully aware of the overwhelming negativity of contemporary journalism. Joe says, "Nobody was looking for real solutions to the problems society was facing; they were just looking for someone or something to blame the problems on." So
in 1990 Joe began writing ValueSpeak, a weekly syndicated column that attempts to look at contemporary issues from the perspective of traditional values. Joe and his wife wife, Anita, are parents of five children, with their first grandchild due shortly.
You'll love his new book, "How Can you Mend a Broken
Spleen!"
Ordering is simple and fast at the following Amazon address:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573453005/heart

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Thought For The Day:

"Prayer should be the key of the morning and the lock of the night."
(Owen Felltham)

Verse for the Day:

"It is good to praise the Lord...to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night."
Psalm 92: 1,2

Kid's Thought For The day:

"Nobody will lend you an umbrella when it is raining."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.
(Barbara Bush)

Coach's Thought For The Day

"One reason I won't compromise is because I believe honesty helps you win over the long haul. You can win a game tomorrow and lose a team. You can lose a game tomorrow and win a football team."
(Lou Holtz)

Deep Thought For The Day:

"My friend told me he'd consider taking up
cross-country skiing if it was a very small country."


Video Imagery (Michael's Video Production Business.)

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