A reminder that not all wars are overseas By O. Ricardo Pimentel/o.ricardo.pimen...@express-news.net
Published 11:39 p.m., Monday, May 30, 2011 There's the usual reason we grieve, why we care, when heinous slayings occur. Any senseless taking of innocent life rips the social fabric. But when it happens to someone who protects life - our lives - that rip has the potential of becoming a shredding. Bexar County Sheriff's Sgt. Kenneth Vann, 48, was one of those protectors. That he was a beloved husband, father and friend is cause enough for us to empathize. That he was one of those who do battle with those who mean the community harm should cause us to care, if possible, more. Some likely think that the law enforcement community is pouring such effort and resources into finding the shooter or shooters of Vann - killed by ambush in a hail of fire while stopped at a red light - because he was one of their own. That's not all of it. Someone who targets an armed law enforcement officer so brazenly has no inhibitions, no moral brake, from killing anyone, anytime. Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz told me on Monday that the manner of this shooting tells him "that this was premeditated - that for some reason they were out to kill a police officer." This shooter has laid down a marker. That marker makes his apprehension imperative. On Monday, we commemorated Memorial Day. Vann's death is a reminder that not all who serve us in such a manner wear military uniforms and that not all the wars are overseas. Yes, those who don law enforcement uniforms know the risk. Or as Ortiz told me, every officer "knows this might be the day." But we grieve anyway because "nobody is ready for something so sudden, so violent, so unspeakable that it shocks the body and shocks the conscience," Ortiz said. The job for capturing Vann's killer or killers does not fall on law enforcement alone. The shooting occurred early Saturday at about 2 a.m. across from a Valero station near Loop 410 and Rigsby Avenue. There were people milling about at that station. Ortiz said they are on video. He's asking that they step forward. Yes. Call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 or the Sheriff's Office at 210-335-6000 or 335-6070. If you saw something - anything - you have an obligation to yourself and your community to step forward. There is a reward involved - up to $52,000, contributed by law enforcement agencies, family members and Crime Stoppers. But that's not why you should step forward. You should step forward because it's your community too. And whether you know it or not, Vann died for you. A word now to the perpetrator or perpetrators here. Maybe you are gloating about your "mission accomplished." Maybe, adrenaline still surging, you're quite taken with your "accomplishment." You might have your own reasons for having done this or maybe this involved orders from others. If they are your own reasons, they are bogus. And evil. If you were acting for others, their reasons fall into the same categories and you are their dupe. And killing from ambush renders your act cowardly and you a coward. If your intent is simply to sow fear, know that this, too, is how cowards through the ages have acted. The hunt for you will be relentless and unceasing. The lulls, if they occur, may give you a sense of security. It will be false security. Whatever spider hole you crawl into will not be safe. Until your capture, I'll at least take comfort in that. o.ricardo.pimen...@express-news.net http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/A-reminder-that-not-all-wars-are -overseas-1402309.php#ixzz1NzdD3jXB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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