04/20/2022
Shared from a graduating student:
Our class will graduate on Tuesday night at 6:00 PM at Odell Williamson Auditorium and all of my friends and family are invited. There are only 9 of us graduating, so it won't take long! The college also says they will live-stream the ceremony and will post a link around 5:45 at https://www.facebook.com/BrunswickCommunityCollege
Now to get mushy (long)....
"Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standing by...
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence" - Don Henley
As I thought about graduation tonight over my morning coffee (which for me is Coke Zero), and the last 8 months I've spent in class with the men I will be graduating with tonight, this old Don Henley song from 1989 popped into my head. I wasn't trying to think of a song, it just bubbled up in my mind. And it got me thinking...
We range in age (now) from 21 to 53, all men. A few are combat veterans that saw significant action. One is black, one Hispanic, and many grew up in distance places including New York City, California, Arizona, and Wisconsin. One was even a pastor.
Our classroom and practical training was done by some of the finest police officers I have ever met, and outside of their jobs, the finest people I have met. All of them, from those that taught a single class to those that provided instruction in multiple subjects, shared a common goal to impart wisdom upon us that went far beyond the state-mandated curriculum. First and foremost they made sure we were safe, and that we were taught the safest way to conduct our jobs ethically and honestly. The passion they all have for the job they do and their desire to help cultivate the next generation was readily apparent and very much appreciated. These are terrific people and instructors who care deeply about the success, safety, and happiness of their students. Lt. Joe Cherry, Maj. Tony Burke, Sgt. Deana Larry, Sgt. Adam Schwartzel, Sgt. John Kunak, Capt. Amy Long, Capt. Blanton, Cpl. Kevin Nedley, Capt. Barry Key, Capt. Kelvin Hargrove, Lt. Steve Smith, and Chief Brad Shirley were just some of the excellent instructors we were blessed to have and each of you have left a great impression on me. And in the case of Capt. Key and Cpl. Nedley, you also left bruises 🙂
As great as the instructors at Brunswick Community College BLET are, the directors of the school that put this whole team together are the best. Lt. Obbie M Blanton and JD Smith worked tirelessly to make sure we all excelled in our education, received the best instruction possible, and were terrific friends to each and every one of us. Things were not always easy, but they both made sure we were all well taken care of, instructed properly, that we were enjoying our time at BCC, and that we were always on the path to success.
I could not have been blessed with a better group of fellow students than the other 8 members of The Nasty Nine. The future of law enforcement is very bright with these guys, and I know they will go on to do great things. We met 8 months ago as complete strangers and are graduating tonight as a group of close friends. And as we go our separate ways to Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, Southport Police Department, Carolina Beach Police Department, Leland Police Department, and me to Oak Island Police Department, I know in my heart we will remain friends, and thanks to mutual aid agreements, coworkers 🙂 I love all of you guys and know you will do great things in your careers.
This group is not a naive collection of wanna-be Supermen with unrealistic expectations to change the world, but rather men with an honest passion for making even the smallest of impacts in their community or helping a single person. If you work 20-30 years and only help one addict recover, one woman escape the grip of domestic violence, save one person from choking or cardiac arrest, have you not changed the world? Maybe not, but for that one person, and their loved ones, you did.
Some of us will undoubtedly see horrible things, witness the worst of mankind, and deal with the lowest forms of human life. The end of the innocence. It is my sincerest hope that these things do not change us from the men I know today into a person that accepts these things as normal. My hope is that all the good you do in the world is what you dream about at night, that you remember most the people you helped, and the real differences you made in the lives of others. Never forget that at some point in time, something compelled you into this line of work, and try your best to rekindle that passion and carry it forward throughout your lives.
I am proud and honored to be graduating tonight with each and every one of these men. I could not have written a story any better than fate that brought us together, and I wish every one of you the greatest of success as we start this journey together, starting at 6:00 PM tonight!
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