Sorry to read this, in my 2 cents opinion, nothing really helps one get over something like this, or death of someone close to you. The best I have found is keeping them in your thoughts and family in your prayers if you pray. I look for the good memories and relive those in my mind. It can be depressing, but also positive to reflect on the good things in the past. Vanzandt, kind of interesting you posted this now. Our youngest is looking to go into law enforcement, hoping to eventually go F.B.I or another Fed level job. I was at gas station last week and a State Trooper was there and I asked if I could bug him with a couple questions, he said go ahead. I asked about the job as our kid was looking to go into law enforcement. His response to his job was about how it can be really rough with the number of horrible accident scenes he has been to, and that these days unless you are in a really suburban department that you will be dealing with some horrific stuff also, and all too often it involves kids. He said he likes the job, but has times he really wonders about his choice of careers. He mentioned he has great support from his wife and spends time helping out at church to keep his head together. He also brought up the number of officers that have taken their own lives from the stress of the job.
Great post. I thought about my response to Badger today... I could have thrown in "at least all you saw was a body bag".... and I'll add that now. Not to belittle his hurt in any way, but just to once again put things in perspective. I don't know how those guys can do it... because as you said, oftentimes it's kids. All one has to do, is go to a junkyard sometime, to pick up a used part or something... and look at some of the cars. It doesn't take much imagination to bring tears to one's eyes. The worst are the small cars you know a young girl was driving, by the color etc. A mangled heap of destroyed metal that no one could have walked away from. The engine sitting where the driver's seat once was. Wanna cry... go see that. And might I suggest, that anyone who's eyes ever land on this thread in the years to come that have kids getting ready to drive... do that. Visit a junkyard with them. Let them see what not paying attention can do.
Of course everybody is different but for me personally I always feel better when I get to talk about something that is bothering me, you know to get it off my chest. Writing about it helps but I find actually talking about it to a live person is more effective. I agree I am sure he's encountered and seen some really horrific and gruesome things that we cannot possibly imagine so that's why I thought maybe if he could talk about it and really describe it in detail, to some professional psychologists or psychotherapists to help him unload what he had on his mind instead of keeping it bottled up inside eating him alive sorta speak or maybe he was already seeing one and it wasn't helping? Anyway, he's at a place where there is no pain now. So sorry you lost a friend and yes I do have a lot of respect for the police. Once in a while you will get a dick that is just unreasonable but most of them are ok and some are even nice. They put their lives on the line for us and stand guard for us so we can sleep at night. That is more than what most of us are able to do. They are some very special people.