It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that I draft this correspondence.
As of October 1, 2006, I am retired from my position as a trooper with the
Ohio State Highway Patrol. I have received an injury in the line of duty,
and this injury has ultimately forced me to accept an early medical
disability retirement. When I began this journey nearly 8 years ago, this
certainly wasn't the ending that I envisioned, and it most certainly isn't
one I would have chosen. I will spare you the intricacies of my injury and
retirement, for the details would most likely prove to be too ghastly for
your comprehension. These details are my burden to carry, and mine alone,
and as such I have not shared them with even those of you who are my closest
confidants.
As you are all aware, I spent my entire career working the Greater Dayton area. National statistics have ranked Dayton, Ohio, as the seventh most violent city per capita in America, and as such it did not provide a very hospitable and forgiving work environment. While it is true that my body
will always bear the outward scars, perhaps the most devastating scars are
those which cannot be seen with the naked eye. I have visions which will
forever be imprinted in my mind, and I can still see each of them vividly
when I close my eyes at night. I have held the hand of a weeping
grandmother as I tried to explain that her daughter and two grandchildren,
one of whom turned 1 year old that day, had just been killed in a traffic
crash...
I have tried in vain to make a grieving mother understand that her
daughter had not been killed in a tragic accident, but had in fact committed
suicide. I have held my best friend's hand as he was loaded into an
ambulance after being shot in the throat, and less than an hour later I
listened in utter disbelief as the animal responsible for this heinous crime
told me he was proud of what he did and hoped "the $%*^@#$ pig dies." These
are simply a few of the myriad of horrible incidents through which I have
suffered. I have been involved in so many vehicle pursuits that they all
have begun to run together. I have spent countless nights and weekends
chasing criminals through alleys and backyards and over fences, all while
the rest of the world slept soundly in their beds, completely oblivious to
the evil which surrounded them.
If I may take just a few more moments of your time, I would like to climb
up onto my soapbox and reflect on the last sentence of the previous
paragraph. All too often we are grossly unaware of the terrible, terrible
price that is paid for the freedoms we take for granted. Following their
return from the battle zone, our soldiers are heralded as heroes and honored
with parades and banquets. This is exactly how it should be, for these
soldiers truly are heroes. However, there is a war going on in the streets
right outside our front doors, yet many of us find ourselves completely
oblivious to it. It is not out of ignorance that we are uninformed, but
rather it is because the brave men and women forming the "thin blue line"
around us are performing their calling with astonishing perfection. It is
rather unfortunate, however, that the soldiers fighting this war (and yes,
it is very much a war) are rewarded with criticism and violence and
unfounded accusations of injustice and disservice. If you feel safe walking
down the street after nightfall, it is because of the police officers (yes,
the very same ones you cursed out yesterday for giving you an unwanted
speeding ticket, etc.) valiantly defending your freedoms in that particular
area. Please, the next time you pass a police officer on the sidewalk, take
just a moment of your day to thank them for the job they do on your behalf.
This moment could possibly be your last opportunity to do so, because before
you see them again, that officer may be called upon to lay the ultimate
sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yesterday I buried a good friend who
gave his life in the line of duty, serving his community. So you see, it
really may be your last chance to say thank you. I wish I could tell Josh
"thank you" one last time...
Please feel free to circulate and forward this letter to whomever you feel
would be interested in reading it. Thank you so much to all of you for your
thoughts and support during this time of transition in my life.
Yours In Service,
Trooper Ryan E. Elsey Unit#109
Ohio State Highway Patrol