Today is my Friday...the end of my work week. Tomorrow I start a three day weekend, three days of training and I was really looking forward to taking it easy today. I still have a recruit riding with me training and we were going to drive the out boundaries of our patrol district today to familiarize him with the area. That was the plan...
I knew right away when the pager went off that I would get no relaxing day. It read..."Barricaded subject in an attic on Curling Drive, SWAT requested". To be honest it sent shivers through me. Knowing that not more than a month ago a barricaded subject in an attic took the lives of Officers in St. Pete put my adrenals on overload.
The "call out" progressed as they do. Small perimeter teams moving contact to cover to gain a tactical advantage. Intel being fed back to the command post. Each operator trying to think two steps ahead while keeping their head in the game. I ended up right where I wanted to be...in the Bear Cat armored vehicle right in front of the house. I was assigned early on to be in the Cat's turret with a long gun covering the front of the house and providing cover for other operators moving around behind me. Long story short...after 7 rounds of 40mm CS gas and 2 more hand thrown gas grenades were delivered into the attic of the house, we made entry, did our job as a team, worked together and completed our mission safely and without injury.
I am proud to serve with my team and proud to call them my brothers.
Training day tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday and I am psyched up.
And we thank God everyday for all of you who put yourselves in harms way for the rest of us. God Bless all of you men and women.....
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