I began my life long career in law enforcement when I was nineteen (19) years old in a small department in a suburb of Oklahoma City.
In 1966 after turning twenty one (21) and married for three (3) days I entered active service in the United States Army. It was a struggle trying to support a wife on the VERY SMALL pay I received and just before graduating from basic training, my wife in a letter informs me she is pregnant.
Our journey togeter began in San Antonio, Texas where I trained in the Medical Field Service School at Fort Sam Houston. We found a mobile home in a mobile home park that was for rent and for the next eight (8) weeks endured one of the hottest summers in San Antonio, Texas without air conditioning.
I was then assigned to Fort Wolters, Texas (Mineral Wells, Texas). We found a very small garage apartment in Weatherford, Texas some twenty two (22) miles from post. I spent the remainder of my active duty time at Fort Wolters which was a very active post due to it being the Primary Helicopter Training Center and the ever escalating Vietnam War.
My wife was from San Marcus, Texas. I met her while she and two sisters were attending Southwestern Christian College in Oklahoma City. Upon discharge from the Army, she asked that we relocate somewhere halfway between her parents and mine in Oklahoma City. We got out a map and found that the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was so located, so I applied to the Dallas Police Department.
I was hired and began my 32 year career in April 1968. I worked late nights (10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) the majority of my career. After two years in the Patrol Division I was very fortunate to be transferred to the Traffic Division where I first investigated accidents, then became a Detective in the Hit and Run Unit. Although assigned to Hit and Run, later renamed the Vehicle Crimes Unit, I dealt mostly with fatal and very serious accidents.
I had a lot of bad shifts, would come home and my wife would sense another bad shift, children killed, innocent victims of most often an intoxicated driver who seemed to always survive and young people killed as a result of just stupidity.
She would bring me a cup of coffee and put on a record (yes records back then) and the words would always relieve the stress. Here is a link to that very song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvkCoC0ZOZc
I lost my beautiful wife Christmas of 2017. It is unbelievable the difficult life she led being married to a police officer. She endured and never complained and continued supportive. She was the very best mother to our only child, a son. God only knows how much I miss her.
Tags: Life
