Law enforcement is under fire. Facts point out – a hundred ways from Sunday – that without them, we would fall into a state of chaos, succumb to anarchy, what John Locke called “the state of nature,” dog-eat-dog with no “social compact.” Stories can say more than facts. So here is one.
For decades, I worked with law enforcement. When a company I founded needed a trusted soul for specific missions, I hired a young law enforcement officer. His name was Rick. I wrote about him in one of my books, “Cherish America” (Tower Publishing, 2024). His story bears retelling.
Like many born in the 1960s, he – and many in Maine – grew up under the tutelage of World War II veterans. He learned about hard work, service to others, faith, and selflessness – from them.
If you rewind the clock a bit further, to this month, 1945, the contrast with today could not be more stark. Far from flirting with anarchy, deriding selfless service, indulging self-pity, or fanning ideological nastiness, we were – “one nation under God” – in a very different place.
In February 1945, world-shaking events rocked our nation, rocked the world, fortified us, and reminded us that national unity, pride in our nation, our moral values, and our young were central – not for winning WWII but for preserving us. This month that year shaped a whole generation.
In February 1945, the WWII generation saw the fight in Europe turn, the Battle of the Bulge end, the American flag raised by US Marines over Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima, Auschwitz liberated, and Yalta begun. That generation modeled courage and selflessness, came home, and shaped us.
Rick was one of those they shaped, a kid born in the 1960s when the WWII generation – which had saved the world – were in their prime, many in their 40s. That generation, which we now call “The Greatest Generation,” saw hell on earth, rose to defeat evil, and understood and treasured the good.
Now, jump back to the day I hired Rick, a young law enforcement officer raised by the WWII generation, like many of us. I asked him typical questions, his goals, and his grounding. I asked about his policing past. He alluded to things he had seen and done as a police officer. We did not linger.
Only years later was I able to pry from him this telling story, a credit to his upbringing with those WWII values, a credit to him, and a guidepost for us – especially today.
… His night shift had been long. He was tired, headed home, had forgotten his coffee, and was barely awake as he watched dawn break. Passing a trailer park, his eye caught smoke curling from a trailer. Smoke from a trailer is never good, so on instinct, he swerved, jumped out, and ran to the door.
It was unlocked, so he pulled it open, was consumed in billowing smoke. Falling to his knees, looked under the smoke. Across the room, he thought he saw crib legs, worked his way to the crib, felt around, and found little legs. Nearing the door, eyes stinging, he saw another set of legs, off the couch, and grabbed them.
Stepping through the door frame, the entire trailer – a veritable tinderbox – exploded, singing his back and head. But he got out, a child in either hand. That day, Rick saved two children, whose parents were not home.
Asking him for every detail, he said he laid them down, called the fire department, waited for them to arrive, guided them to the children, and then went home. Nothing more? No reports filed, no media alerted, no interviews given? Did he tell his superiors? Did he return to visit the kids?
“Nah, I never felt it was necessary…” He paused. “They were both alright, would be taken care of, no report was needed, and not interested in the recognition … they lived.” That was about it.
I recall him musing, as we spoke about that day. “Hopefully, they got to raise children and grandchildren … The Creator put me there, let me get them out … what more could I ask?”
Rick’s only afterthought: “This is what officers do every day.” Anything else? “I slept well.”
When we hear the modern shouts and protests, insults, chants, and rants of uninformed people, none of whom understand what motivates police officers, remember Rick’s heart and courage. That is law enforcement. That is who keeps evil at bay today. And that is all of us at our best, blessed.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!
