Remembering Fallen Heroes

The wife of a law enforcement professional in Washington state has written a stark post in her blog. It is a must read.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouse Is

The Lakewood fallen have been laid to rest. Maurice Clemmons body is cold, while his soul smolders. News coverage is shifting to cover things like the war on Christmas, Tiger Woods’ sex life and the questionable placement of Michelle Obama’s belts. Before we all get back to business as usual, I’d like to do my small part to help the three surviving spouses and nine children left damaged in ways they will never fully recover from, yet left with no choice but to find a way to carry on.

This week I’m devoting all my posts to honoring law enforcement, giving the general public a glimpse into what it means to be a cop on and off duty, the unique challenges that face a law enforcement family and most importantly, aiding the grieving.

My strategy? Guilt mongering. I’ve been told I’m pretty good at. I’m hoping my fellow bloggers will join me in encouraging giving before this news story fades away. I’m not tracking hits on my blog this week. I’m tracking hits on that link in the top right corner. I know money is tight right now. We can’t afford to cut a huge check right now, so our family has committed to giving a smaller amount every paycheck. I’ll be leaving that link up for a year. Every little bit helps. Money can’t heal a broken heart, but it can relieve some stress for the surviving parents.

The Lakewood Police Independent Guild has set up a trust for the children of Sgt. Mark Renninger, Ofc. Tina Griswold, Ofc. Ronald Owens and Ofc. Greg Richards. Since the LPIG is managed through member dues, 100% of donations will go into a trust for the children. The guild stresses that they are not soliciting donations through telephone or email. Unfortunately, some scammers have tried to exploit the situation. However, there are some businesses legitimately soliciting donations.

I’ve read a lot of comments on blogs regarding why fallen police get so much fanfare compared with our fallen military. I see their point, but I’m really not interested in arguing about which deaths are more tragic right now. If that aspect really bothers someone they might consider the huge number of law enforcement officers which are former military.

I’m also closing comments. Comment by giving.