Monday, January 12, 2015

Some things are not what they appear to be.....


While driving in town one Saturday afternoon I was in my patrol car behind an older model white station wagon with several children in the backseat.  As we were at a T-intersection and awaiting traffic to clear  so we could turn left the white station wagon pulled forward at an accelerated speed.  The car went straight across the intersection into a large vacant lot.  This lot used to be a mobile home park and was currently vacant.  Traffic on the main road nearly struck this car but thank goodness the on-coming vehicle had good brakes!  As the white car entered the lot the passengers front door flung open and an individual rolled out onto the ground.  The vehicle kept moving, leaving him on the ground.
I was shocked and knew immediately that something was not quite right.  I turned on my emergency equipment and drove to the vacant lot as well.  As I exited my car I saw the station wagon coming back but my concern was for the person on the ground.  Was it a domestic fight and was this person injured?  As I hurriedly walked to the person on the ground it became very clear that he was in the thralls of a Gran Mal seizure.  As I attempted to get close to his head to hold him, the driver of the car screamed at me to leave him alone!  This startled me and I immediately called for a back up unit and an ambulance.  She was becoming hysterical and he was seizing terribly.  The only calm ones on this scene were the children.  By the time the ambulance arrived the man was no longer seizing and he was beginning to come around.  While the paramedics attended to him, I talked to the wife and found out that this is a regular occurrence with  her husband.  The seizures were due to his military service in Viet Nam.  She began telling me about some of his episodes and she began to cry as she described
lovingly the affects this has had on their family.
The husband was transported to the hospital on Ft. Hood due to the road rash he received from rolling out of the car.  I escorted the wife and children to the gate leading on post when she had calmed down enough to drive.  This family came to the police department to see me several weeks later to Thank me for my concern and loving consideration.
In this situation, Heavenly Father insured that this family had the help they needed by putting me there to help.  What it appeared to be was not all what it was. I found great supporters in this family for many years.  Thank You, Jesus.


Working a graveyard shift becomes boring when there isn't much going on so patrol units would get out of their cars and check businesses for anything suspicious. Walking around the buildings often times would rejuvenate us simply by the fresh air.    And of course sometimes we'd find something or something or someone would find us.
One late Friday night, I walked around a small strip mall off the main highway in town.  My patrol car was parked in the front of one of the businesses.  In this mall was a restaurant and a bar, a Harley Davidson dealership, and an insurance agency.  The restaurant stayed open 24 hours so people were usually going in and out regularly.  This particular morning that was not the case.  As I walked to the back of the building it was pitch black!  I had a flashlight, though.  I walked along the building and was in the dark, pretty much hidden, when 3 burly guys came out of the bar.  They were highly intoxicated and hell bent on  fighting each other.  As they were about to fight I popped out of the dark and identified myself.  Their attention was detoured from each other to me. They began to talk to themselves about jumping me.  I knew they were no match for me when they began to move towards me.  I drew my service revolver and told them to stop or I would have to shoot them.  They all just laughed at me!  This is the first indication to me that I might actually be in trouble!
As I slowly moved backwards into the dark corner I began to pray for a way to save myself.  The men began to cajole me telling me that I should just give up that they were going to 'have their way with me'.  They were loud and scary.  About the time I actually entered the darkest area I heard them say, "Let's get her boys!"  At that exact time one of the doors at the back of the building opened up and out stepped 2 HUGE men.  They each were armed and one of them told the 3 drunks that they'd have to go through them to get to me.  The two men were no less than six foot 5 inches tall, with long beards, skull caps, and big double barrel shotguns!  They reminded me of ZZ Top!
The 3 drunks scattered and ran off much to my relief.  When the 2 lifesavers turned around and introduced themselves to me I found out they were the owners of the Harley Davidson shop and had been inside their office and heard everything that was happening outside.  They became my heroes that morning and my friends for life.  Heavenly Father sends help from where we least expect it.  These men were my salvation.  They looked rough as most die hard bikers do but they were angels for me!