Editor’s Note: In PoliceOne “First Person” essays, our Members and Columnists candidly share their own unique view of the world. This is a platform from which individual officers can share their own personal insights on issues confronting cops today, as well as opinions, observations, and advice on living life behind the thin blue line. This week’s essay comes from PoliceOne Member Keith Bettinger, who asks, ‘What happened to honoring our heroes, decorating graves on Memorial Day, attending Memorial Day parades?’ Do you want to share your own perspective with other P1 Members? Send us an e-mail with your story.
By Keith Bettinger
April 16, 2011 Lynn and I went to see the military tattoo at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas, NV. The doors opened at 6:30 pm and I wanted to be there when it opened because I expected a large crowd and a huge traffic jam on Tropicana Avenue leading into the arena.
When Lynn and I arrived we breezed into the parking lot. We parked near the entrance. No need to display the handicapped parking permit for these two fledgling senior citizens. Inside the arena were the tables and booths set up recruiting musicians or selling items while asking for support for wounded warriors or military families in need.
When Lynn and I took our seats about one half hour before show time, the arena was near empty. Here we were at the top of the seating section looking down into acres of empty seats. As the clock ticked away to three minutes until show time, people took some of the empty seats, but only in a trickled, no mass arrival.
Military bands from the United States, Great Britain and Canada along with police pipe bands from Vancouver and Winnipeg police departments along with the 3rd Infantry Division “Old Guard” silent drill team marched en masse into the arena and rendered honors to special guests. The shame of it all is when I looked around I thought there were more people on the arena floor than there were in the seats.
Later on that evening as Lynn and I came out of the casino where we had dinner. A bus was dropping off the United States Marine Corps band from 29 Palms. Lynn was almost in tears as she said, “They’re so young.”
Yes dear they are young, and they’re all volunteers. They are giving their youth so we can remain safe as we grow old and comfortable. They are some of the most under-appreciated heroes you will ever meet. Yet they go into harms-way willingly and without question.
This leads me to my questions; where is our patriotism? When did it leave us behind? What happened to honoring our heroes, decorating graves on Memorial Day, attending Memorial Day parades, and most importantly honoring all they’ve done by standing and rendering honors as our nation’s flag goes by? Maybe the most important question of the evening during the tattoo was why was the arena empty?
Las Vegas is a military town. We are home to Nellis Air Force Base. The United States Air Force Thunderbirds call Las Vegas home. When University of Nevada at Las Vegas has a basketball game at the Thomas and Mack Center, there are lines of cars waiting to enter the parking field while blocking lanes of traffic on Tropicana Avenue. On the evening news after a game, sportscasters interview players and some of them can’t even string a coherent sentence together, yet Americans flood the arena to see them run up and down a basketball court.
There is something wrong in this country when we fail to honor our true heroes. The audience made up for the empty seats with rousing standing ovations, but as a town we could have done more to welcome and support our heroes. They are willing to give all to protect us. The least we can do is thank them and show our appreciation.
