Life Behind the Badge: Just Another Day

Can I tell you what an amazing man I think my husband is?  Am I allowed to be proud of him?  Am I allowed to tell everyone I know that my husband is a police officer and I am not going to hide?  Are people going to roll their eyes or get quiet when they hear what my husband does for a job?  Are they going to call him names behind his back just because he represents the law?  Or are they going to applaud him and tell him thank you whenever they see him? I am one proud wife.  I am not shy about it and don’t mind if anyone knows what he does.  My husband on the other hand is more closed mouth about it as there are too many incidents where families could be targeted because of the job.  So from LEOW to another LEOW, I am going to tell you why I am proud of him. Last week, when my husband and his dad were heading to South Dakota for the Cops On Top hike, they were somewhere in the middle of nowhere along the quiet interstate.  My husband noticed a car on the side of the freeway and a driver tossing a can or bottle out of the car.  The car then took off behind my husband and then spun out and rolled on the freeway down an embankment.  My husband witnessed this in his rearview mirror and you know, being who he is, he didn’t keep going and call it in.  Rather they stopped and got out and went to make sure the driver was okay.  My husband always carries his piece even when he is off duty and he made sure he had it on him then.  The smell of alcohol was everywhere and the man was unresponsive but alive.  My husband stabilized the man’s head and made sure things were secure after the call was put in.  He then noticed a gun underneath the pedals of the car.  Well his heightened awareness was put into overdrive.  He didn’t think anything of wanting to get back on the road.  They were there for almost two hours making sure things were done and the man was on his way to the hospital.  You know, even though this man was clearly drunk and did this to himself, my husband still stepped in and did the right thing.  Yes, it is training but most of it I think has to be his compassion for his fellow man.  Yes, I am pretty proud of him and I know his dad is as well. Our LEO’s are out there all the time, even when they are not on duty.  Their radar is always going to make sure the status quo is still the status quo.  They can’t turn it off and thankfully as a family who really depends on him for continued safety, it won’t go off especially when it involves the family.  Yes, this man he helped wasn’t family but he was still a human being that deserved a chance.  He gave him that chance.  We have no idea if the man survived or not but all my husband cares about is that he did the right thing.  I asked him if he wanted to know and he said that he didn’t.  That is behind him now.  He has life ahead of him and each day is a new day.  His climb was successful with some amazing people and his dad.  It was just an amazing week.  I am glad that this man I love so much more than I can even say, had a week that recharged the batteries, gave him some alone time with his dad, and refreshed his reasoning of why he does the job he does. Let us give our LEO’s a little bit of love this week.  Thank them for just being them.

Kristen Wallitner has been in love and married to her LEO husband for 16 years and they have 2 children, ages 8 and 5.  They do a lot of hiking and outdoor things as a family.  Kristen is also very interested in running, gardening, writing, and cooking, studying her Bible, and spending time with family.