America, Resilient and Strong

The news media is ablaze with information. Some of it is based on what has been and is being released by the investigators on the ground in Las Vegas. Some of it is pure conjecture based on “he said, she said,” or “so and so said,” or… whatever. My favorite so far is the story about the flying saucer seen buzzing the crowd after the attack; either aliens or time travelers from the future making sure that whomever it was in the audience that was going to be responsible for a worldwide holocaust had been neutralized. If it wasn’t so sad, it’d be funny.

But the reality is none of this is funny. People are doing all they can to leverage a tragic event to gain either money or fame – no matter how little or how short lived. Yesterday I was on a conference call with our law enforcement publishing team here and I was asked about the event. Still being a sworn police officer and having ties to various agencies, I’ve been getting For Official Use Only briefing documents and I stay true to my oath, NOT sharing the information in them that is law enforcement sensitive. I will say this:

First, I think it’s a shame that people seem to dismiss common sense and all perception of reality in their clamoring for information about this heinous and evil act.

Second, I think it speaks volumes about the strength of America to see not only how our first responders tackled it, but how the average person, literally in this case, on the ground handled it.

Some  years ago… 2004 or thereabouts… I was asked, “How long did it take America to respond to the attacks of September 11^th, 2001?” The answer at that time was, “At least a month, and we still are.”  When asked, “How long did it take AmeriCANS to respond to the attacks of September 11^th?” the answer is and always will be, “Flight 93.”

Make no mistake: The strength of America is not her government; it’s not her military (although that’s quite awesome); it’s not any given elected representative (although they have a great impact long term). The strength of America is the AMERICAN.  The average citizen on the ground who is self-reliant, resilient, strong, compassionate, sympathetic, helpful and determined.

The stories of such people are showing up on social media and, in rare instance, on national media outlets. They are heartwarming.

My favorite so far is about Marine veteran, Taylor Winston. In attendance at the concert, once he realized what was going on and he had removed himself from what he considered the kill zone, he immediately began looking for ways to help the wounded. He stole… er… um… borrowed a truck that had the keys in it and is credited with driving nearly 30 wounded to the hospital. Winston is credited with having taken two truckloads of victims to the hospital before the first ambulances even arrived on the scene (according to one source). THAT is showing what Americans can do. I am lucky enough to have family that are Marines – and yes, once a Marine, always a Marine. They truly find ways to improvise, adapt and overcome (like Gunny Highway’s character preached in “Heartbreak Ridge”). THIS Marine – Taylor Winston – did so to help fellow Americans and proved that his oath has no expiration.

Then there’s the story of Brad Sugars, a Las Vegas resident, who stayed on the scene to help police officers treat and assess the wounded. He recounts how, when he looked around, all he saw was people helping others. It has been repeated several times that there were literal strangers helping strangers by plugging bullet holes with their fingers.

The last one I’ll share makes me shake my head. Social media is full of surprises and this was one for me. I don’t know the man’s name or where he’s from, but I’m including a picture of him wearing what looks to me like a Captain America tank top, drinking a beer and flipping the bird toward the shooter’s perch in Vegas. Here’s another look at America: attending a country concert, drinking a beer, and not caring about the bullets raining down as you flip off the shooter. I’m thinking maybe he had one too many? Or he’s got balls he carries around in a wheel barrow.

Now, I need you to imagine the scene, as ugly and hard as it is: You’re at a concert, having a blast. It’s Las Vegas – party city of America. You’re with friends and in a friendly crowd. The music is cranking and everyone is having a good time. There are popping sounds and everyone thinks it’s fireworks… but there’s no accompanying flash. There are more popping sounds and then people falling… bleeding. Someone realizes it’s gunfire and the ripple effect spreads panic like wildfire through the crowd.

The first response of everyone is to get away from the bullets. No one realizes how high up the bullets are coming from. It is literally raining down fire. Panic spreads and some of the injuries later discovered will undoubtedly be from people being trampled; people falling and hurting themselves as they run in blind fear; people hurt by running into traffic or into/over barriers.

Once those people are clear, they stop, breath, think and assess what’s going on. And then a huge number of them start helping others. No longer thinking of their own safety, they start taking action, many of them returning to the “kill zone” even as gunfire continues to rain down, to help others – either to move them to safety or to help them right where they lay.

You want to see the best America has to offer?  LOOK AT THAT.  Look at what WE do when the feces hits the oscillating rotator and we have to take action. Look at how America bands together, ignoring politics, ignoring race, ignoring religion, ignoring gender… ignoring even whether you’re a country fan or a pop music fan or a fan of rapping.  WE DON’T CARE. We take care of our own and argue the petty stuff later.

America is the greatest nation on earth. I truly believe that. But if you want to know why – it’s because of people like Taylor Winston, Brad Sugars and others who step up and show the whole world, without even wanting the attention really, that AMERICANS are what makes this nation great.