PATRIOTS CORNER
Patriots Corner by American Patriot and American Veteran, Benton J. Lovoi Jr. U. S. N.
This article does not necessarily represent the opinion of Thunder Roads Louisiana Magazine or its staff.
To get the full grip of this article I would like you to open your mind or close your eyes and get someone else to read it to you.
I know it sounds crazy but hey give it a try.
You’ re a police officer on patrol riding in your unit when you get a call just before midnight about a suspicious subject. When you arrive on the scene, you begin to walk around the grounds to see what you can find. Suddenly you come across the suspect. A suspect you have dealt with before. You ask for identification, and the suspect pulls out his ID and there where you can see it is a marijuana cigarette. You think no big deal it’ s just a joint. But now you have to search further … it’ s your job.
Your suspect freaks, drops the ID and joint, and begins reaching for what you think is more pot to dump. But it’ s not. It’ s a long barrel revolver. Your instincts kick in. You only have a split second, so you grab the gun pushing the barrel away and gripping the cylinder to stop the gun from firing. Now you’ re locked in a fight for your life. You and the suspect begin to try to gain control of the weapon. You’ re trying to hold the gun and disarm the suspect. You are trying to obtain the weapon in the struggle, and the suspect squeezes the trigger. The first goes through your lower leg right below the knee and exits mid calf. At this point all you see is your pants leg exploding as your adrenaline kicks in and you feel no pain.
You continue to fight as you see the railing on the stairs behind you, and you push him over. The short drop should cause him to release the weapon. As you hit the railing it springs you and the suspect back like the ropes in a boxing ring, causing you to lose your grip on the weapon. As you take a few steps back the suspect points the weapon at you............
The suspect points the weapon at you and begins to fan it like an old western movie. Training kicks in and you draw your weapon. You feel a round slam into your back. but thankfully you’ re wearing your vest. You suddenly feel something is not right. As the entire right side of your body goes dead, your right arm drops, and your foot feels like its on fire. You are still standing. You pick up your right hand that is holding the gun, and with your left hand you try to shoot just as the suspect puts another round into your upper back. You feel like your vest took that round. It felt like a slap. You are standing as the third round that hit your back pushes you to the ground as the suspect runs.
Sitting on the ground with legs crossed, you raise your gun with your left hand hoping he is not coming back to finish you. Lucky, you have your radio on your shoulder you queue your mic to call for help, but you’ re out of range. Now you have to get off the ground and move to get a signal while looking for the suspect. You walk 50 or 60 yards and finally get a signal to call for help. You now begin to have trouble breathing. You’ re still trying to maintain watch for the suspect and begin a physical assessment of your injuries. You know your left leg is hit.
Well if you think your safe now well you’ re not. Things are not getting better at this point. You take your vest and shirt off and feel a large knot under your right collar bone the size of a golf ball. While you are assessing your injuries, you are thinking about vital organs. You know you are shot on the left side and you have a knot on your right side under your collarbone. You know you are in bad shape. You hear the ambulance sirens and you know you’ re safe now … but wait they can’ t see you, and the area is still considered a hot zone so they can’ t come and help you yet.
It only took 9 minutes for responders to get there but 9 minutes is forever when you’ re sitting with bullets in your body. Your breathing becomes harder and harder. Finally, the area is clear. Paramedics cut your clothes off to work on you. The paramedics try to lay you down but you refuse, to you it’ s symbolic. If you lay down you might not get up. The ambulance is now taking you to the hospital. You are safe.
Once you get to the emergency room, it’ s crazy with activity. You hear a lot of talking. You hear a comment that you won’ t make it. You look up to your LT. and he says you’ re gonna be ok. People are holding you down jamming tubes in your side as big as your thumb, and the painkillers are not working. The tubes make a popping sound like a balloon. The pain is extreme. As the second tube goes in you it sounds like someone dumping a bucket of water on the ground. That’ s the fluid coming out of your lung. You can now breathe but it is painful.
This happened to Deputy Donald Bourg on July 27, 2009. After all of that the doctor walked in and told him life as he knew it was over. as far as his career as a police officer. The doctors weren’ t sure if he would ever walk again. That’ s when he found out he had a bullet in his spine. Management came into talk to him but he it was hard to talk after the news of how severe his injuries were.
After some time, he got feeling back in one leg. It would take 7 years and he is still going through therapy. He was promoted to Lieutenant. Yes! He is still a police officer. if you think anything else but Hero then you need to evaluate yourself because you may be the problem with society today. What really amazes me is the guy’ s attitude. Don is just a straight up nice guy not bitter at all. He is an amazing airbrush artist who has no problem teaching me all kinds of tricks and showing me new skills.
When you run a red light, or speed and then yell at the officer that pulled you over, or if you threaten that officer who is there to protect you, just think of that maybe that police officer did a couple of tours overseas defending your life as an American, and now you’ re taking it out on him because you did something wrong and got caught. Maybe his family has situations a sick child, lost a loved one, or just maybe someone left a bullet in his spine ran off and left him for dead. The men and women need to be treated with honor. Don Bourg is a man I’ m proud to know and honored to call a friend. If you know you broke the law accept what you get. Don’ t do the crime if you can’ t do the time. This is dedicated to the men and women who protect our streets ……….
DEPUTY DONALD BOURG
8 Thunder Roads Magazine Louisiana / Mississippi | November 2017 | www. thunderroadslams. com