TRYING TO MAKES SENSE OF TRAGEDY

Last week we all listened with horror to the reports of the tragic loss of
four RCMP officers in Alberta.

Not only was this killing unbelievable but also it was also unprecedented
for more than 100 years. As I listened to the news I couldn't believe my
ears. It sounded more like I was watching an episode of Law and Order
rather than the evening news.

But it was reality, though one few of us can understand. As I got more
details on the incident my horror only grew. Just before I went to bed I
heard one of the RCMP officers had only just graduated in mid-February. My
heart began to beat out of my chest for my best friend from college had
just completed her training and received her badge in mid-February. Worse
than that, she was stationed in a small town just outside of Edmonton, and
I couldn't remember the name of it.

That was a sleepless night for me. In my brain I tried to reasoned that it
couldn't be Penny, what were the chances of that. But my heart told a
different tale, it didn't care for reason, it felt only fear.

In the morning my nightmare ended when I heard the name of the newly
graduated officer. It was not my friend. After only a few seconds of relief
my thoughts turned to the family of the officers who did die in the ambush.
They were not as lucky as me. Instead of waking to have their fear
subsided, they woke into their worst nightmare.

My heart goes out to these people. My few hours of worry serves minute
taste of what they must feel. It makes me wonder how they do it. How they
say goodbye to their loved ones every morning not knowing what the day will
throw at them.

This unthinkable act should serve as a reminder of the importance of the
RCMP. For the most part, few of us will ever have a run-in with the police
with the exception of the odd traffic fine. It is therefore easy to forget
that they put their life on the line every day.

I know some of you probably think I am being a little dramatic. You may
reason that we all have just as high a chance of being killed driving to
work as the officers in Merritt have of being killed on duty. I argue it is
not the same. When we go to work we know we will be safe. As an RCMP
officer they don't. They never quite know whom they will face on any given
day and what degree of violence they will witness.

What makes this shooting hit a bit closer to home to many of us is the
realization that it could just as easily happen here. The communities
aren't that different. In fact Merritt probably has more violence and drug
and alcohol abuse than Mayerthorpe. That probably means the officers, who
are in Merritt to keep us safe, do put their life on the line every day. It
is for this reason that we should never forget their importance.

I think we all want to make a difference to the world. Our dreams vary in
magnitude, but I think what it comes down to is that when our last day on
earth comes we will be able to say our life mattered. There is no doubt in
my mind these four officers can say that. Just by being a police officers
they made a difference. They did something few of us would have the courage
to do. They put the well being of other people before that of their own,
for that I am thankful. I am also glad to know there are officers in
Merritt who do the same everyday. This tragedy can be blamed on many
things. There will surely be an investigation to determine if any mistakes
were made, but what it really comes down to is our world is changing. The
things RCMP officers face are becoming more and more unbelievable. This man
made a decision that he valued his crop of marijuana more than that of the
four lives he took. This is an all too familiar scene in the United States,
I personally hope it never becomes one here.

I still wonder how people like my friend Penny make the decision to be an
RCMP officer. When I told her this she said it is just something she has
always wanted to do, the dangerous aspects of the job never entered the
picture. For her, and every other person who decides to strap on a gun and
pick up a badge, I am thankful. My friend also advised me not to worry. She
said the training they receive prepares them for almost everything and she
would be just fine. I hope she is right. I hope we never see another
example of so many lives lost in vain.