life is short

driving down 83 to 695 today i noticed a procession. vehicles with flashing and blinking police lights, undercover, b'more police, FBI, and others... hundreds of cars, miles in a row. on-ramps were blocked off by armed guards. merging onto 695, the procession continued still heading north towards 83. no public traffic was heading north at this time via 695 or 83.

A ways down 695, a hurst appeared, surrounded by multiple tinted vehicles. 10 or more vehicles parked along the highway, with armed public servants and seated german shepards, soluting the procession. behind the hurst another multiple-mile long linear procession of flashing tinted vehicles followed.

33 year old Special Agent Hicks died of a bullet wound to the chest last week near Pittsburgh, PA. It was a suburban drug raid and the 40-year old woman who shot him claims she believed she was 'shooting a home invader'. Hicks, barely 1 year in the FBI, leaves behind a young wife and 2 year old son.

This tragedy caught my attention today only because i was in a particular place at a particular time. However, unfortunately there are so many 'public servants' who risk and lose their lives in the name of public safety on a daily basis. I decided to dig a little deeper (see below).

• firefighters
• police
• us government
  

These are just generally published stats... and don't even include all military deaths in the line of duty. However, the numbers suggest that we can assume every day someone, if not many, somewhere die in the name of public service. Whether we agree with the cause, effort or manner in which that particular "mission" or "event" occurred, a death, is just that.

It's sad to think that it takes some taking this type of risk, for us to go on with our lives, safe, secure and comfortable. And that at the end of the day - or of a day like today - their families, including small children who know nothing more than the comfort of their parents care, are the real ones who suffer. It's just sad.