Dear God, where do we get such men?

Dear God, where so we get such men?
What loving God has provided,
that each generation, afresh,
there should arise new giants in the land.
Were we to go but a single generation
without such men, we should surely
be both damned and doomed.
-Anonymous military officer
as quoted by
Lt. Dave Grossman, On Combat

The Sheepdog's Prayer

This prayer is dedicated to all the Sheepdogs who make our world a safer place to live.  To all of the law enforcement  / rescue / military personnel and armed citizens: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

By Roger E. Temple - Revised 02/2011

The Knights of Olde were Men of Honor
Who used their Might For Right!
Today they’re known as Sheepdogs,
Those who carry on the fight.

I am a tired old Sheepdog,
The guardian of my flock.
I keep the predators at bay
And stand watch around the clock.

Please stop the Sheep from pulling my teeth.
I’ll need them for the fight,
When the hungry Wolves come calling
Some dark and deadly night.

I pray I'll never need my gun,
But someday if I do,
May my cause be just!
My draw be quick!
And my aim be ever true!

Heaven holds a special place
For those who do the deed,
Defenders of the innocent
In their hour of need.

May the Sheep someday be grateful.
There’s a debt they can not pay
To the Sheepdogs who lay it on the line
Each and every day.

I am proud to be a Sheepdog.
I've done my very best.
I'll stand my watch until my Maker
Calls me home to rest.

But when I meet St. Peter
There's just one request I’ll make,
“Please let me spend Eternity
Standing guard at Heaven's Gate”.

Lord, help us bring this ''Age of Sheep''
To a rapid end.
Then fill this land with Sheepdogs,
Men of Honor, once again.

This prayer is dedicated
To those who bravely face,      
The dangers all around us,
To make our world a safer place.

To the soldiers, cops and warriors-
Sheepdogs through and through.
Thank you for your service
And your sacrifices too.
Amen

Quote of the day

I guess the world needs dreamers. People who could not harm a fly, who always see the best in others, and who see the world for the way it "could be". But realize, that for every ten thousand dreamers, there is another who is different. He or she is manning a post or patrol and they see the world as it actually is; and it is they who are keeping someone else from cutting your head off with a knife and putting it on a stick ... as you dream. ~BKS

from AmericanSnipers.org

Quote of the day

From Pushing to the Front -1911 by Orison Sweet Martin

"Over the door of every profession, every occupation, every calling, the world has a standing advertisement: "Wanted - A Man. "
      Wanted, a man who will not lose his individuality in a crowd, a man who has the courage of his convictions, who is not afraid to say "No," though all the world say "Yes."
      Wanted, a man who is larger than his calling, who considers it a low estimate of his occupation to value it merely as a means of getting a living.
      Wanted, a man of courage who is not a coward in any part of his nature.
      Wanted, a man who is symmetrical, and not one-sided in his development, who has not sent all the energies of his being into one narrow specialty and allowed all the other branches of his life to wither and die.
      Wanted, a man who is broad, who does not take half views of things; a man who mixes common sense with his theories, who does not let a college education spoil him for the practical, every-day life; a man who prefers substance to show, and one who regards his good name as a priceless treasure...."

Warriors - Are you always prepared?

At the risk of repeating myself...I repeat myself. ‎

"If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today." ~ Lt. Col Dave Grossman

And the bad man does come felllows...and you never know when and where.

 

If you're authorized to carry a weapon, and don't, say "baaaa"

http://www.policeone.com/off-duty/articles/2019751-Off-duty-Calif-cop-fatally-shoots-violent-man/

Through much of my career, I didn't carry a weapon off duty...too much trouble, too heavy, too hard to conceal, etc...but then I watched a video of Col. Dave Grossman giving one of his speeches. I've written here before about sheep and sheep dogs. The thing that Grossman said that has stuck with me since I saw that video was this:

“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

I do have an idea. I couldn't live with myself if violence came to one of my loved ones because I was not prepared to confront it. Since that day I can count on one hand that number of times that I've been "unprepared", mostly because carrying a weapon was impossible or illegal, ie: on an airplane, Disneyland (whose weapons policy I'll NEVER understand), at the beach.

Thank God, and kudos to the officer that's the subject of this story, that he was prepared and didn't have to stand there helplessly while some scumbag did violence to his daughter.

Brothers, be prepared and watch your six.