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Transpired: DLeigh By now, almost everyone around the world has heard of the tragic deaths of four young Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who were maliciously gunned down in Alberta. It is truly heartbreaking to lose a life in the event of tragedy, and even more difficult when the lives total four: RCMP Consts. Peter Schiemann, Brock Myrol, Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon. They will never be forgotten, nor will the events leading up to their untimely demise. The four young officers were shot
down by a madman, James Rosko: a serial psychopath with a deep hatred
for everything and everyone. What James Rosko didn't take away, however,
is their legacy: the lives they lived, the people they touched and
are still touching. The courageous spirits of these young men live
on in their families, in other officers around the world, in children,
and in neighbors. Their love and determination to serve as officers, to risk their lives on a daily basis, to sacrifice family for strangers, has served as a reminder to us all just how much these young men (and others in the same field) give up and risk to ensure that we, everyday strangers, can sleep at night, walk the streets, and have someone to call in emergency situations. It is a profession in which those who enter should never be taken for granted. On Friday March 10, 2005, thousands of citizens, and tens of thousands of police officers from across Canada and around the world, lined the streets and the local arena known as the Butterdome in Edmonton, Alberta for a nationwide memorial dedicated to the lives of these young men. I watched the procession on television through constant tear-filled eyes as the camera panned the crowds and officers faces. I watched as the grief and outpouring of love transpired into a memorial service that radiated respect, admiration, courage, faith, and determination; much in the manner RCMP Consts. Peter Schiemann, Brock Myrol, Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon honored us every day. My heart goes out to the families and friends of these young officers for whom an outpouring of love and hope exceeded far beyond the border and into the hearts of everyone. |
