WELCOME TO LLOYD'S HOME

~I wish you could see the sadness of a business man as his livelihood goes up in flames or that family returning home, only to find their house and belongings damaged or destroyed.~

~I wish you could know what it is to search a burning bedroom for trapped children, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen beneath you burns.~

~I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror at 3 a.m. as I check her husband of forty years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping against hope to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done.~

~I wish you could know the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, the erieness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke, sensations that I have become too familiar with.~

~I wish you could understand how it feels to go to work in the morning after having spent most of the night hot and soaking wet at a multiple alarm fire.~

~I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire, "Is this a false alarm or a working breathing fire? How is the building constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to an EMS call, "What is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or life-threatening? Is the caller really in distress or is he waiting for us with a 2X4, gun or knife?"~

~I wish you could be in the emergency room as a doctor pronounces dead the beautiful little 5 year old girl that I have been trying to save during the past twenty-five minutes who will never go on her first date or say the words, "I love you , Mommy" again.~

~I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab engine, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to yield right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic. When you need us, however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here!"~

~I wish you could know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the mangled remains of her automobile, "What if this were my sister, my girlfriend, or a friend? What were her parents' reactions going to be as they opened the door to find a police officer with hat in hand?"~

~I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call.~

~I wish you could feel my hurt as people verbally, and sometimes physically, abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes of, "It will never happen to me."~

~I wish you could know the physical, emotional and mental drain or missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have viewed.~

~I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property, of being there in times of crisis, or creating order from total chaos.~

~I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging at your arm and asking, "Is my Mommy okay?" Not even being able to look in his eyes without tears from your own and not knowing what to say. Or to have to hold back a long-time friend who watches his buddy having rescue breathing done on him as they take his away in the ambulance. You know all along he did not have his seat belt on, a sensation that I have become too familiar with.~

~Unless you have lived this kind of life, you will never truly understand or appreciate who I am, what we are, or what our job really means to us.~

Fire Marshal,Ret.

~MY ADVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE~
Follow the example that has been set for you, "Treat people as you would want to be treated, It takes a better man to walk away from a fight, the person you hit could hit his head and die, learn from your mistakes and do what you know is right not what your "friends" try to pressure you into doing." Young people take my advice the future may look bleak to you in your young years, school may seem hard, it may be more fun to to play than study, BUT you will need your education in the future and the "fun" (crime) your friends want you to take part in could ruin that future for you.


~I'M JUST A PERSON LIKE YOU~

~I have been where you fear to be
I have seen what you fear to see
I have done what you fear to do
All these things I have done for You.~

~I am the person you lean on
The person you cast your scorn upon
The person you bring your troubles to
All these things I have been to you.~

~The person you ask to stand apart
The person you feel should have no heart
The person you call, "the one in blue"
But I'm just a person, just like you.~

~Through the years I've come to see
That I'm not what you expect of me
So take this badge, take this gun,
Will you take it? Will anyone?~

~And when you watch a person die
And hear a battered baby cry
Then do you think you can be
All these things you ask of me?~

~Author Unknown~

~HOW TO MAKE A POLICEMAN CRY~

~Want to see a policeman cry? Would you like to see him bury his face in his hands, bawl like a baby, and slam his fist into the side of his patrol car? It's easy.~

~Start by refusing to listen to your wife when she suggests that she drive. Don't be a whimp. Assert yourself. Say, "Aw heck, I can drive better with a few beers under my belt than you can cold sober."~

~Twenty minutes later you are standing in the dark on the side of the highway with broken glass and spilled gasoline around. Your wife is screaming, pinned beneath the jagged edges of twisted metal. Your two year old daughter is silent. Your six year old son is sprawled face down 30 feet away.~

~The policeman smells the alcohol on your breath and see's the white powder on your nose when you try to explain, and he's not gentle as he puts the handcuffs on you and puts you in the back of his patrol car and tells you to shut up. Then he pauses to wipe the tears from his eyes before he turns his attention to what's left of your family and your car.~

~Congratulations. You've made a Policeman cry.~

~Author Unknown~

~"WHAT IS A POLICEMAN?"~
~He's the guy next door - a man's man with the memory of a little boy.
He has never gotten over the excitement of police cars and sirens and danger.
He's a guy like you and me with warts and worries and unfulfilled dreams.
Yet he stands taller than most of us.
He's a policeman.~

~He puts it all on the line when dispatch calls.
A policeman is at once the most fortunate and the least fortunate of men.
He's a man who saves lives because he has seen too much death. He's a gentle man because he has seen the awesome power of violence out of control.~

~He's responsive to a child's laughter because his arms have held too many small bodies that will never laugh again.
~He's a man who appreciates the simple pleasures of life - hot coffee held in numb, unbending fingers - a warm bed for bone and muscle compelled beyond feeling - the camaraderie of brave men -the divine peace and selfless service of a job well done in the name of all men.~

~He doesn't wear buttons or wave flags or shout obscenities.
When he marches, it is to honor a fallen comrade.
He doesn't preach the brotherhood of man.
He lives it.~

~Author Unknown~

~To Protect and To Serve~

~I don't know why you chose this path It was surely not for pay There is no routine or certainty That brings comfort with each day~

~You leave your home and take with you The love and prayers of family They know the dangers that you go through Their prayers are done on bended knee~
~Your eyes see more in just one day Than we'll see in an entire year You strive to make our homes a haven Safe from harms way and fear~

~You vow To Protect and To Serve People you don't even know You treat them all with dignity Despite the filth they show~

~The way you serve with care and honor Reflects on your reputation You wear your badge with a great pride And it serves as confirmation~

~You never know with each call you take If this will be your last But yet you continue to take each one And let your doubts just pass~

~This is a eulogy while you yet live To wait till your death is bad How much we need you to keep going on So we can live in a world that's mad~

Kate Plourde, Author

~This poem was written especially for our men and women in blue. Please feel free to copy it or link it to your site. All I ask is that you keep me as the author. Thank you, Kate~



~WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO~
My heart goes out to you. As I fully understand the pain that you must feel As people verbally and sometimes physically abuse you For what you choose to do.

You stand up for what you believe in and what you think is right How you must feel as you come home to your loved ones Knowing that you almost didn't make it home last night.

You are an individual willing to risk everything for someone you don't even know You pledge to protect and serve us In spite of the scornfullness we show.

You have seen the eyes of a man watching his livelihood go up in flames I am amazed at how you cope, for you know this is no game.

You are there to search a burning home for any that remain The scorching heat penetrates your turnout gear I am astonished at your endurance regardless of your fear.

You carefully press on, your palms and knees ablaze The smell of burning insulation and the smoke creates a haze.

The floor begins to weaken as the room beneath you starts to deteriorate Hoping against all hope that it is not to late.

You are the one continuing to search for a pulse; clearly knowing you will find not one Starting CPR consciously knowing that everything has already been done.

The frustration you must feel after being lead Trying to save a child for almost a half and hour Only to have the doctor pronounce her dead.

You are the one we call on when we are in distress The one we bring our problems to when we can't get our rest.

You see more in a day than most can fathom in a year Society believes that you are without a heart But you are a person just the same, with equal hope, and fear We don't see your emotions so we decide to set you apart.

We could not wear your badge or carry your gun And when we are with our families we wouldn't wish that on anyone.

You are bold enough to carry us to safety regardless of our mental state Courageous enough to go where most could not contemplate.

You are there to hold someone as they die And still caring enough to follow a strangers cry.

You put it all on the line when dispatch calls Knowing your life could end real fast But you are just like the guy next door With the same worries and childhood past.

There is no certainty that brings comfort to each day You are brave enough to carry the burdens while others just look away.

You are a very unique person with an incredibly special will I know I could never be all the things I ask you to fulfill.

Because the world around you brings so much death and pain You are a gentle person who daily risks his life so that another can live to gain.

I feel the anger you must have at the driver who neglects to see your lights Or hear your siren for he thinks these are his driving rights.

But still I am the one who will sarcastically say "It took you long enough to get here are you sure you want to stay?".

I would not deal with your physical, emotional or mental strain Adding more to the tragedy that already remains I could not feel or manage with all your pain.

You have the ability to be calm as a child tugs on your uniform to say "Will my mommy be ok?" When you look into his eyes despite the tears from you're own I am sure you wonder why it is you stay.

You have the strength to hold a man as the ambulance drives away Scattered remains of an accident and what must cross your mind You stop to remove a teenager from the scene of a crime "This could have been your son or daughter and you'd be left behind".

You calmly stand with hat in hand outside a family's door To face a child's parents and tell them they're worst horror. I could not do what you do Not for what we pay you.

I don't know why you chose, the profession you have decided Maybe to fulfill a hunger or a void within I pray one day the world will see all the safety you've provided.

Unless I walk in your shoes I will never truly understand or fully appreciate who you are or what you do.

Not to mention what a job like this must mean to you For all the grief and sacrifice this profession puts you through.

And for your loved ones though I believe the reward is recognizably honorable and true It is time for citizens all around to stand for once and salute to you.

Thank you Lord for blessing our Firefighters with courage and persistence, for creating our Police Officers with strength and a law enforcing nature, for giving our ambulance divers patience to put up with other drivers and the ability to control their adrenaline. We praise You for the Dispatchers who take that first call, for the quick response of the ER Staff, for the EMS workers with the heart to carry on, and for the love that pours out of all the Volunteers. Thank you Jesus for the heroes of our time I did not mention, and for anyone that daily puts their life on the line! Please forgive us for what we put you through and may God bless you for everything you do!

Written by: Izrael Anna Helena May 3rd 2000 Inspired by: Lloyd Peterson



~HOW TO WRITE AN OBITUARY FOR YOUR TEENAGER~

~You sit quietly, watching your child sleep. Your hands are still shaking, your mind still spinning. You take a deep breath, close your eyes, and try letting your mind drift. The intercom blared every few minutes, serving as a constant reminder of where you are. And why. Your child is in the hospital, and you're still in disbelief. You fix the blanket you brought from home, carefully tucking it in around his feet just the way you used to. He loves this blanket, you think to yourself. There has been no movement since you last tucked it in, but that doesn't matter. It gives you something to do. Keeps your mind off things. The doctor says it's a losing battle. You're not ready for that.~

~It's been two days since your child's friends carried his unconscious body into the emergency room. When you got the phone call at work, you figured it was a minor cut, another broken collarbone. The nurse at the hospital mentioned something about inhalants. Surely that was a mistake, you thought. But as you soon learned, "sniffing"--inhaling household products to get high--was not a mistake. It was a habit. A habit you never knew existed.~

~Another day passes. And another. For four days, you don't leave his bedside. Dozens of tests have been done, but all they've proven is what damage inhalants can do to a body. They can cause heart failure, or damage the kidneys, the liver, the brain. Inhalants can even kill the first time they're used. As you stare at your child, you wonder whether that wouldn't have been better.~>

~Almost a week has passed. The doctor finally convinces you to go home. To change. To sleep. The answering machine filled with well-wishers. The neighbors bring over food--chili, you think. You're still too numb to eat. You're still too numb to do anything. The everyday products your child could've sniffed--spray paint, markers, correction fluid--lie around unnoticed. The house is quiet. You begin to realize this something you will have to get used to.~

~It's been 16 hours since your child was pronounced dead. You struggle to compose yourself as you begin to face reality. The relatives you phoned didn't know about inhalants. It seems no one did. It's been 35 hours since you slept, and 12 more will pass before you do again. Because you have a funeral to arrange, and people to console. And someone from the obituary section is on the phone. They need to know about the child you just lost.~

~Could this be your child? We sincerely hope not. Unfortunately, inhalant abuse is on the rise among children of all ages, and its not about to go away. Because the average home contains over 100 ordinary household products that can be used as inhalants. These products are found in the garage, under the sink, in the bathroom. And the paraphernalia used for sniffing includes commonplace items as socks, soda cans, even empty lunch bags. Please take the time to call and learn more about inhalant abuse. Because sniffing may be new to you. But it probably isn't to your child.~

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY Partnership for a Drug-Free Washington and America For information or assistance, call: 1-800-662-9111 or www.projectknow.com or www.drugfreeamerica.org

~YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE MY ADVICE~

~Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.....~ Christian D. Larson



During those years was THE CRASH and life has never been the same.

"Retired Police Officer's Guild Line Dance"

"For all officer's out there trying to protect us at risk to yourselves."

~WHEN I SAY "I AM A CHRISTIAN"~

~When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I am saved" I'm whispering "I get lost!" "That is why I chose this way."~

  ~When I say..."I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need someone to be my guide.~

  ~When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on.~

  ~When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and cannot ever pay the debt.~

  ~When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect, my flaws are too visible but God believes I'm worth it.~

  ~When I say..."I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain I have my share of heartaches which is why I seek His name.~

  ~When I say..."I am a Christian" I do not wish to judge.  I have no authority. I only know I'm loved.~

 ~Author Unknown~

"A renewed inspiration is what I found."

POLICE OFFICERS MEMORIAL



~KENTUCKY COLONEL AWARD~

Our own Lloyd Peterson received the prestigious honor of being a Kentucky Colonel by Governor Paul Patton in January, 2000. I decided to interview him to see what it was like to have an honor such as this.


~THE INTERVIEW~
1,) Did you ever expect to be honored in this way?

(a) No, I had no idea, except to expect something in my snail mail, but my wife died unexpectedly and my best friend mom826 (Hazel) when asked what was going on said there is a secret but I can't tell you .Then I moved to Louisiana and it was sent to my old address and had to be re-sent by the Governor and two people in the newsgroup congratulated me but I did not know what for, I was going nuts trying to find out what was going on, but no one would tell me, not even Mary (Dell46).


2.) What did you do or say when you found out that you were a "Kentucky Colonel"?

(a) I was at the Hospital in Shrevport at Mary's bedside when I got a phone call from her brother who was picking up our mail, I asked him to open the large envelope from the Governor and read it to me, I just about fell off the chair, her family was there I must have been pretty excited because the nurses came in, there were a lot of hugs and handshakes, I was the proudest person in the world. I was thinking "What did I do?", I have never been in Kentucky"


3.) Do you think this has made you a better person, or has it had no effect on you whatsoever?

(a) After I researched the Honor on the website on being a Kentucky Colonel.. I felt so happy to be among the many famous people of the world to recieve the Honor. I has made me a better man knowing I was so respected for what I have done with my life teaching children and saving lives from fire, domestic violence, child abuse, rape and drunk drivers, after so many let downs and death, almost loosing my faith.


4.) Was it difficult to get an award like this?

(a)You would have to ask the Kentucky and Louisiana News Groups, It was a very well kept secret that they were submitting my HomePage and life history of 47 years of service to the public to the Govenor of Kentucky.


5.) What's it like knowing that you're among the "who's who" of Kentucky?

(a) Like I said, I have never been to Kentucky, YOU my friends brought my life to the attention of the Governor and the world, I feel Kentucky has given me it's higest Honor for what I love, teaching the children and adults of the United States and the World and I am not too old to continue this on the Internet even though I am disabled, It is The Highest Honor a person can get and I am so proud.


6.) Do you feel like you have achieved any goals by becoming a Kentucky Colonel?

(a) Yes, the Highest goal I could get, to keep up what I am doing and not feel old and retired and re-build my faith, that God has a purpose for me yet.


7.)The last question is, did you celebrate the occasion? If so how did you celebrate?

(a) I stayed at Mary's hospital bedside for 15 days almost loosing her twice, and caring for her at home. My celebration was in prayer that she servived with all your prayers and best wishes. We will have a time to celebrate by getting her family togather and all of you that can attend our wedding!


Thanks Lloyd for your time! You're a great person and I feel like you deserve this!
Interview By: Rob

 

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