We wanted to highlight a publication by Frederick S. Grossman, Jr. Information on the book, including purchasing information, can be found below.

ISBN13 Softcover 978-1-4535-6775-3
ISBN13 eBook     978-1-4535-6776-0
 
You can also order through Xlibris Website or by calling 888-795-4274 ext.7879. Also found online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

We will go where you fear to go
We will see what you fear to see
We will do what you fear to do
All these things we will do for you

Anonymous, adapted by Mike Rapiejko, Tucson PD

By Roger E. Temple - Revised 02/2011

The Knights of Olde were Men of Honor
Who used their Might For Right!
Today they’re known as Sheepdogs,
Those who carry on the fight.
 
I am a tired old Sheepdog,
The guardian of my flock.
I keep the predators at bay
And stand watch around the clock.
 
Please stop the Sheep from pulling my teeth.
I’ll need them for the fight,
When the hungry Wolves come calling
Some dark and deadly night.
 
I pray I'll never need my gun,
But someday if I do,
May my cause be just!
My draw be quick!
And my aim be ever true!
 
Heaven holds a special place
For those who do the deed,
Defenders of the innocent
In their hour of need.
 
May the Sheep someday be grateful.
There’s a debt they can not pay
To the Sheepdogs who lay it on the line
Each and every day.
 
I am proud to be a Sheepdog.
I've done my very best.
I'll stand my watch until my Maker
Calls me home to rest.
 
But when I meet St. Peter
There's just one request I’ll make,
“Please let me spend Eternity
Standing guard at Heaven's Gate”.
 
Lord, help us bring this ''Age of Sheep''
To a rapid end.
Then fill this land with Sheepdogs,
Men of Honor, once again.
 
This prayer is dedicated
To those who bravely face,        
The dangers all around us,
To make our world a safer place.
 
To the soldiers, cops and warriors-
Sheepdogs through and through.
Thank you for your service
And your sacrifices too.
Amen

****

In 1457, King James II of Scotland banned the game of golf from the hills on which it was created.  He argued that golf was a danger to national security as it distracted his soldiers from practicing their archery.
His grandson, James IV, a keen golfer, lifted the ban in 1502.  Eleven years later, in the battle of Flodden against the English, Scotland suffered its worst ever military defeat.
Wall Street Journal, 18 Aug ‘09

*****

In 1636 a frustrated General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony unanimously passed an ordinance that said:

"Whereas many complaints have been made to this Court, of the greatest neglect of all sorts of people of using the lawful and necessary means for their safety, especially in this time of so great danger from Indians, it is therefore ordered that no person shall travel above one mile from his dwelling without arms; upon pain of twelvepence for every default."

Being unarmed was considered negligent!  Self protection was not just a personal responsibility, it was a duty to the community!  And for over a century after the danger from hostile Indians was eliminated, there was no suggestion that this ordinance be repealed.  A century and a half later, those people were the leaders of the armed rebellion that created the United States!

John Farnum

****
A strong body makes the mind strong.  As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun.  While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind.
Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind.  Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks.

Thomas Jefferson to his nephew Peter Carr,
August 19, 1785

“Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.”  ~Thomas Jefferson

****
Teddy Roosevelt said, while he was President, that:  “We should establish shooting galleries in all the large public and military schools, should maintain national target ranges in different parts of the country, and should in every way encourage the formation of [shooting] clubs throughout all parts of the land… It is unfortunately true that the great body of our citizens shoot less and less as time goes on.  To meet this [challenge] we should encourage … practice … by every means in our power.  Thus, and not otherwise, may we be able to assist in preserving the peace of the world.  Fit to hold our own against the strong nations of the earth, our voice for peace will carry to the ends of the earth.  Unprepared and therefore unfit, we must sit dumb and helpless to defend ourselves, protect others, or preserve peace.  The first step — … to avert war if possible, and to be fit for war if it should come — is to teach our men to shoot.”

****

Piss on golf!  Real Americans go to the range!
Dave Grossman

************

“Cogito, ergo armatum sum: I think, therefore I am armed.”

Many people have asked me, “What’s it like to a cop?”…
They couldn’t possibly understand, so I don’t even try to explain…
But that question has revisited me over the years when it was quiet and I was all alone deep in thought, often times I have wondered if I even comprehended or understood for myself…

But in time, in the calm and quiet of night reflecting back over my career, I found the answer to be a simple one after years on the beat and some hard won wisdom…

Being a cop is not about power or about strength…
It’s not even about love or hate no matter what people may believe…
Being a cop is truly about those four simple and yet all too powerful words,
to protect and serve…
There are so many fulfillments in living those four simple words…
To protect even if it costs you your own life…
To serve even at the expense of your own comfort…
To realize that you may only make a difference in one person’s life…
The courage to accept that this is truly enough…
The determination, to wake up and do it all over again…
And the faith to know it is all worth it in the end…
Most of all to humble, yourself to those that you protect and serve…
As best I can describe, after years of service and some heartfelt thought…
I think that this is what it’s like to be a cop…

I’ve faced monstrous evil in this country and abroad. It is real.  I know,

I’m a protector

I’ve crossed a line, I’ve lost my youth and  innocence, and I can never go back,

I’m a protector

My tools aren’t hammer and saw, but they’re my wits, my weapons, my body, and my brothers,

I’m a protector

I’ve been charged by angry civilians with  ”excessive force” and watched my Captain sit paralyzed, while I’m lynched for opposing evil,  not complaining, because not only am I a man, but

I’m a protector

I am always on point, cutting a swath before me,  sending weasels and snakes hissing and scurrying away from the shark that has entered their water, because they know and I know, that

I’m a protector

I’ve proudly  worn 2 uniforms identifying me with  thankless jobs that few others do, and I do them with all my heart because solemn oaths taken before God and man may some day break me, but I’ll never break my promises,  because, by God,  not only am I a man of my word, but

I’m a protector

I’ve put on the uniform that  felt so heavy I could hardly walk, until I see my flag, and remember to stand up straight and for better or worse, I love my country, and I’ve sworn an oath, after all,

I’m a protector

When I see a flag or stand for the National Anthem, I  fight back  tears for those who’ve gone before me, unashamed that I love my men and my country, because

I’m a protector

I’ve sat all night in the midst of snakes and weasels,  wondering what good people are doing who will  never have to see what I’ve seen, do what I’ve done,  but  there’s no going back, I’ve burned my bridges,  and when the time comes to act,  I do, and I do it well,  because

I’m a protector

I watch a recently murdered girl cut brutally to pieces as they dare me to react and betray my emotions, but I am strong, vowing  that my day will come, and so will there’s, because

I’m a protector

I gather up broken body parts after the chaos,  denying  the tears until  I can grieve the fallen.  I do my job, because

I’m a protector

The sheep around me give way, not even hiding their fears that I’m too serious, too dangerous, I  laugh at the wrong things, act strange in crowds, and don’t back down to bullies.  It’s a lonely walk, but that’s OK, because

I’m a protector

I watch my motives twisted and perverted through the lens of the weak and the vain,  knowing full well  that sheep defend the wolves and resent their sheepdogs.   They are blind and ignorant, God bless them all,  but

I’m a protector

I have broken laws in this country and abroad to protect myself and others; when the law wouldn’t work, I went to work defending myself and my brothers, because

I’m a protector

In the dark of night, miles from home,  wondering if I’d finally lost my mind, loving this piece of iron as the most loyal friend I’ve ever had, then snapping out of it to do the job and get home,  because

I’m a protector

When someone says, “aren’t you so-and-so and didn’t I see you on a website or something?” I tell them they must be mistaken. I protect my brothers, and have nothing to say, nothing to prove,

I’m a protector

Now I leave the house where my happy family trusts me to protect and provide, love and discipline, be the father, friend, husband and lover,  safe under my covering, where the honest and the broken take shelter, whether it be food, housing, money, or love, they’ve come to the right place,

I’m a protector

Evil never sleeps, is no respecter of persons, but  I love what’s behind me, even more than I hate what’s before me, so I run  forward when others flee,   take a stand when others cower,

I’m a protector

I stand helplessly as paramedics scramble to load my dying wife and unborn son onto the helicopter,  and as I watch them ascend,  I hear the strong, calm voice of my Commanding Officer  speaking from on high,  “Fear not, My son, because like you,

I’M A PROTECTOR

My wonderful men in blue
They are true blue thru and thru
No matter what they circumstances may be
They are always there for you and me

I sent them from run to run
As fast as the calls come in
From one part of town to the other
Also from place to place
With them never knowing what they are going to face

Whether in uniform or at play
They are always on duty 24 hours a day
There may be snow on the ground
Or the sun may be shining down

But none of that matters at all
Because when the call comes in they respond to the cry for help like the true blue men
they are

From one extreme to another
Whether it be holding the hand of a crying child or mother
Or having to take charge of another
Everyday they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know

As their dispatcher my job is behind the scene
But that doesn’t matter
Because they draw comfort from my voice
And also draw strength knowing that I am right along beside them in spirit and heart
And there to give them support where they most need it