i found a picture of you

That duet by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow was one he and I did regularly on karaoke nights at Steed's, once upon a time.
In fact, Danny was the one who had contacted me about that delicious dish of irony that Steed's and Sam Johnson served to me, hot and steaming.
(smile)
That was eleven years ago.
Tonight, he posted a message I thought should be shared with the world.
It's an insight into the workdays (and nights) of our police and emergency techs.

"This month marks 12 years since EMT school and 10 years since the Police Academy.
Look at that smile on my face.
I couldn't have been more excited and more proud back then.
Don’t get me wrong, I still am and still love what I do, it's just a little different of a view now.

The last 10-12 years has brought plenty of shed blood, black eyes, torn ligaments, fight wounds, stitches,
funerals, a foot surgery, a head injury, permanent and irreparable nerve damage, 2 ruptured discs,
some charming PTSD and depression issues and a whole lot of heartache.
They have brought missed Christmases with my family, my absence from friends' birthday get-togethers,
pricey concert tickets that were forfeited at the last minute because of a late call and so many sleepless nights.

I've dodged gunfire while running through dark woods in the middle of the night chasing a robbery suspect,
I've argued with women who were too scared to leave their abusive husbands until they realized they had to
or they would end up dead.
I've peeled a dead, burned baby from the front of my uniform shirt, I've felt the pride of putting handcuffs
on dangerous criminals and I've cried on the chest of and kissed the cheek of a dead friend and coworker.
I know what a bullet sounds like when it's whizzing past your ear, a few inches away, I know what the sound
of a Mother's shrilling scream is like when she finds out her son has been killed in the middle of the street
and I know what it's like to have to tell a wife and mother of 3 that her husband was killed in a car accident
while on his way home from work.

Smells, pictures, sounds and sights are burned and engrained into my mind...
things I can never forget, no matter how hard I try; things that haunt my sleep at night and my thoughts during the day;
things that I volunteered to deal with so that you don't have to.

I never once went to work thinking, "I'm gonna beat someone tonight.";
"Hmmm...I think I'm gonna kill someone today."
I did and still do, however, go to work every shift, knowing that I’m going to do the best I could
to keep good people safe and help those who are sick or injured, even if that means that I die doing so.

We ALL need to be more understanding and compassionate toward one another in public safety.
PTSD is real.
We all have bad shifts.
We all have had bad calls.
We all have seen more in a single shift than what others will see in a lifetime.

If you've read this far, thank you for reading.
I'll be more than happy to hug you and pray or meditate with you.
I'll be more than happy to listen to your stories and let you vent and empathize with your feelings.
Love to all of you.
ALL OF YOU."

My love to you, too, Danny Torres.
My love to you, too.
May God keep you safe.