THANK YOUR BRAVE BODY GUARDS OF THE LAW---TODAY !

This past week has been a very difficult time for me and the citizens of Pottawatomie County. We lost two Deputies in a crash that involved their patrol car and an 18-Wheeler that was making a U-Turn on a narrow Oklahoma rural highway. Oklahoma in general, and rural Oklahoma in particular, has a special gift of sharing the hurt and helping those who have experienced great loss. 

I performed the service for Deputy Michael Roberts on Tuesday. He and his family are very, very special people. Pastors do not have lots of close friends---yes, we do have lots of brothers and sisters in Christ---but we have very few close friends. The Roberts family are my friends.

I dedicate this Post to the memory of a very special close friend: Deputy Sheriff Michael Roberts.

What follows is a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. He has informed me it will appear soon:

Letter to the Shawnee-News Star Editor:

“Getting the Bad Guys off the street” and enforcing the law is the sworn mission of law enforcement officials at all levels of government. Many times we forget that these brave body guards of the law have families. We often forget the daily dangers they face in an ever violent world. And we are seldom given a public glimpse into the extraordinary bond that exists among and between these under- paid and under-appreciated dedicated protectors of society.

As the editor of this newspaper has so correctly and compassionately observed, we lost two very special deputies of the Potawatomie County Sheriff last week: Mike Roberts and Tim Lowry. Only those close to families of these two men know the depth of the grief and anguish they are experiencing. Through their tears, the new widows and their families were able to say with great love and understanding: “They died doing the very thing they were called and volunteered to do.” 

The hundreds of law enforcement officials from our state and nation who came to the services bear silent testament to the strong bonds all lawmen have for one another. It is special and unique. The unseen attention to detailed planning reflected the concern for showing the families their loss was shared. Both funeral services had the dignity, honor, and respect due their fallen comrades. 

   

The public outpouring of sympathy and support to the grieving families has been, and must continue, with the genuine concern that only the citizens of the great state of Oklahoma can give.  Grief is not an event; it is a long, difficult process.

Citizens of Potawatomie County can be justly proud of Deputies Roberts and Lowry. They also can be very proud of Sheriff Booth and his staff for their professional and personal concern for the widows and families of Mike and Tim.

Glenn C. Peck     

Pastor, St. Louis Baptist Church