Last summer, my dad retired from a 41-year career in law enforcement: 10 years as an MP in the U.S. Army, six as a corrections officer and deputy at the county jail, and 25 years as a patrol officer with the city police department.
Throughout his work as a first responder, he saw the good, the bad, and the ugly, and as his family, we saw the service and sacrifice it takes to protect the community. Some of my earliest memories revolved around the implicit dangers of police work, and I grew up understanding that not all first responders make it home.
My dad’s best friend, Charles E. Attig, Jr., was killed in the line of duty on June 10, 1983, by a suspect who was seeking revenge for being issued a speeding ticket earlier in the night. He was just 25 years old and only beginning his career. It was completely senseless and heartbreaking, but my dad made sure we all knew and remembered him, and his mom Rosa has become a lifelong family friend.
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