24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 18,453
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 18,453
"But why does the typical soldiers funeral differ so much the typical policeman's funeral?"

That's a good question and I'm not sure I know the answer. Others have touched on this as a time honored tradition and that's probably the best answer. I would agree that out brave soldiers deserve much more and do not get the recognition they deserve. As to your original question, I have attended many police funerals for officers I knew and worked with from local agencies and for some that I didn't know personally. In every instance, I went on my own coin and never even considered being reimbursed.

BP-B2

Joined: May 2003
Posts: 20,494
T
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
T
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 20,494
Quote
"But why does the typical soldiers funeral differ so much the typical policeman's funeral?"


Not saying it's right or that it has any merit, but maybe it is because a police officer is not a soldier in a war -- he is charged with maintaining law and order - not on a battle field, though sometimes it turns into one, but in the back yards and streets of our own homeland.

I have attended a few police funerals over the last 38 years that I have worked both as a police officer, and now within the justice enterprise as a retiree. Every one I attended was on my own time, meal and accomodation expenses were on my nickel, and the department paid the vehicle expenses -- one patrol car for every 5 officers. But you endure the cramped travel and the expenses for the sake of honouring a fallen brother and supporting his family.

If a soldier from a town within 100 miles of my home was being buried after return from a campaign, I'd be there to show my support, whether I knew him or his family or not.

I've been the guy that is doing an entry into an allegedly booby trapped house with no bomb squad training, and the armed entry into a house accessible only by rail that is 50 miles from the nearest backup with no backup present. I understand what the risks are. I appreciate the men and women that stand for public safety. I stand with them, and always will. If you don't, feel free. I hope you never get to feel the sting of losing a friend or relative to some insane freak that gave nothing to society but trouble -- and a dead police officer. frown


"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Prov 4:23)

Brother Keith

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,549
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,549
Well said BK.

Part of the problem BC is the media exposure(or lack thereof) a fallen soldier gets from the media. Sadly, their deaths in time of war get mentioned on the back page of the paper, if at all. A local LEO works within his community and is more visible to the general public he serves. There is less anonymity for him in his AO than for a soldier. That could be part of the reason or I could be all wet.



"I Birn Quhil I Se" MacLeod of Lewis
I Burn While I See
Hold Fast MacLeod of Harris
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 14,651
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 14,651
I think you're right Mac84. We've got around 50K people in my city. I can't go to town and not see someone I know.

Between church, friends, and my kid's sports teams you get to know a LOT of people. And that's not counting work. And then through work you meet people working cases, neighborhood meetings, being in the paper and working through our local association.

A lot of our officers have name recognition with a large portion of those 50K citizens.


Originally Posted by SBTCO
your flippant remarks which you so adeptly sling
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,324
zxc Offline
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,324
Like others have mentioned police work close to the community, they are killed and injured by members of the public. This makes it much more personal than killed by the 'enemy'. Police by and large work in alone or in 2's, this is the lone wolf idea ( WW 1 fighter pilots) a man is on his own making their own decisions based on situation and training, he is not anonymous in the community that he serves. My father and grandfather were in the world wars and were just one of 100,000's of solders deployed to Europe. My grandfather went back to England for King and country, my father hated the farm. Looking for adventure, 3 squares, and bored with life as it was presented in 1930's Canada. Solders are treated by governments as assets or like so many ants in a colony, sad to say fighting and dying for political action just doesn't rate the same as getting my stolen property back or getting jerked around by criminals.

IC B2

Joined: May 2007
Posts: 14,651
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 14,651
I think it's also different in that when a cop is killed people think, "Wow, I was just there yesterday." "I knew the guy that killed him." "My friend lives next door to where that happened." It makes it more personal because they think that it could've happened to them too.

But whenever a soldier dies halfway around the world fighting terrorists on a mountain, the whole concept is foreign to them.


Originally Posted by SBTCO
your flippant remarks which you so adeptly sling
Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
148 members (257 mag, 10Glocks, 300jimmy, 01Foreman400, 10gaugeman, 257robertsimp, 12 invisible), 1,456 guests, and 829 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,590
Posts18,397,904
Members73,815
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.148s Queries: 14 (0.003s) Memory: 0.8308 MB (Peak: 0.8940 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 09:41:05 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS