Memorial Day is our annual commemoration of those who paid the ultimate price while serving in America's Armed Forces. This year, I'm going to expand my tribute to include three other closely related special groups who also deserve our recognition.
I don't equate the animal kingdom on par with the human race, which was made in the image of God. I also don't want to take away a single ounce of sacrifice from any human who serves or has served in the Armed Forces.
But I think it is more than warranted to highlight the courage and sacrifices of those who are often overlooked: K-9s and military working dogs are one of them. They are specifically trained to assist those in the Armed Forces as well as police and other law-enforcement personnel. They are also deeply loved and valued as an integral part of an offensive or defensive team.
In the words of Deputy Chief Richard Conant of the Long Beach Police Department in California, "These service dogs, these canines, are not just dogs. These are police officers…"
Roughly 175-200 K-9s are killed or die annually while in police service in the U.S. alone, according to the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association. That's at least one death every two days.
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Military or working (war) dogs, or MWDs, have saved tens of thousands of lives of those serving in the Armed Forces over the past century. Each dog is regarded as a non-commissioned officer.
As National Geographic detailed: "At the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military had a force of roughly 2,500 military working dogs (MWDs). Some have entered our national lexicon as heroes in their own right: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois hailed for his work with the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden. And Rex, a shepherd; his handler, Mike Dowling, wrote a book about their harrowing exploits in Iraq, saying, 'It was Rex who gave me the strength to get up and to carry on.'"
National Geographic also gave one video example of thousands of the heroic nature of MWDs: "While serving in Afghanistan, U.S. military combat dog Layka was shot four times by the enemy at point-blank range. Despite her injuries, she still attacked and subdued the shooter, saving her handler and the other members of the team. Seven hours of surgery and the amputation of one leg saved her life. Her handler, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald, fought hard to adopt her and she's now become a part of his family."
There's no official statistic that I could find regarding how many MWDs have actually died while in service in all of the Armed Forces in the recent wars on terror. Nevertheless, each one that has given its life has saved lives and helped the cause of freedom. For that, we recall their incredible value on this Memorial Day.
The second group of individuals I'd challenge everyone to remember and honor this Memorial Day are America's peace officers, especially those who have died in service to their country. They are not being recognized and honored the way they should, especially by the mainstream media. Each and every day, they put their lives on the line, and many have fallen serving their communities.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the following statistics show just how many brave and courageous men and women in blue there are and have been across our country:
- Crime fighting has taken its toll. Since the first recorded police death in 1791, there have been over 21,000 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Currently, there are 21,183 names engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, located in Washington, D.C.
- There are 1,117 federal officers listed on the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial, as well as 689 correctional officers and 39 military law enforcement officers. There are 309 female officers listed on the memorial; six female officers were killed in 2016.
- A total of 1,512 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 63 hours or 151 per year. There were 143 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2016.
- There were 15,725 assaults against law enforcement officers in 2014, resulting in 13,824 injuries.
- The deadliest day in law enforcement history was Sept. 11, 2001, when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America.
- New York City has lost more officers in the line of duty than any other department, with 768 deaths. Texas has lost 1,706 officers, more than any other state. The state with the fewest deaths is Vermont, with 23.
It's just tragic that statistics exist like these in the U.S, and we must continue to fight to lessen them. We honor each and every one of those fallen officers this Memorial Day.
The third often overlooked group I'd call you to remember this Memorial Day is the families of those who have lost loved ones in the Armed Forces. In thanks for their sacrifice, we often overlook that their families are still right in our community, neighborhoods and churches.
Here's what many may not know: I belong to that group. While I'm not looking for any further recognition, I am calling Americans to be mindful of others around them. There are more and more of those who suffer from the fallout of war all around us. (If that's you, and you're looking for a little help or encouragement, I would encourage you to find a GriefShare group in your community – a fantastic support and educational group for those grieving the loss of loved ones.)
Like you, here's what I feel the deepest every Memorial Day: the depth of love of the brave and courageous souls who sacrificed everything, and that includes my brother, Wieland. The anniversary of his death in Vietnam is also only about a week away from every Memorial Day.
My father fought in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge. I served four years in the Air Force in South Korea, and my brother Aaron served in the Army there, too. Our brother, Wieland, was killed in action in Vietnam when he walked point alone and drew out enemy fire so others in his platoon could fight their way out to freedom. Many souls were saved on that day because of my brother's bravery. He was killed on June 3, 1970, by a single bullet shot to the heart. It's a shot that shattered our hearts, too, and I still feel it to this day. (My mom wrote a chapter on each of the Norris men, and for the first time tells Wieland's war story at length in her autobiography, "Acts of Kindness: My Story," available at ChuckNorris.com or Amazon.)
Though the following chart needs a little updating, these are numbers of those who sacrificed their lives in major wars since the Revolution, and to whom we owe our thanks for our freedoms and American way of life:
My sentiment for each and every one of those sacrifices couldn't be summarized better than by the 20th U.S. president, James Garfield, whose own life was taken through assassination less than a year after becoming president.
About the patriots for whom we commemorate this Memorial Day, President Garfield said: "We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."
Let there be no doubt about this. What Jesus said was true: "No one shows greater love than this: that he or she lays down their lives for others."
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