[ampaterry]

I talk a great deal about our armed forces. I speak of their bravery and sacrifice, how they risk their lives for you and for me, and how they do it for so little pay. We also know that members of the armed forces subject themselves to a chain of command that can place them in peril at any moment, and from which they have virtually no respite. To make matters even worse, they are under constant control by rules and regulations which change at irregular intervals concerning when it is OK to use the weapon they carry. All of that is so very true, and God Bless every member of our fighting forces. They are the reason we live in safety here in our country.

But today is a different day entirely. Today, we recognize a completely different group of men and women who have lost their lives because they put themselves in an almost identical set of circumstances, yet did it here in our own country. Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day set aside in by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 to recognize the sacrifice of the law enforcement people in our country that have lost their lives or become disabled in the line of duty. We owe these people every bit as much respect and gratitude as we do those that have served in the armed forces. In reality, these people ARE in the armed forces. They face evil every day in a completely different form! The evils these people face every day are from people in our country that are indistinguishable from the rest of us; they wear no uniform. So, not only do our peace officers have to risk their lives in combating our enemies, but they must first determine WHO the enemy is! God bless every member of our peace officer agencies at city, county, state and federal levels.

Lord, we ask that you would watch over all peace officers today.
We ask for your blessing and comfort to every person that has lost a loved one performing this service for the rest of us.
We ask that you would help each one of us to recognize that these men and women deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our love as they perform their duties.
And we ask all of these things in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.