The Future and Friends

Today I found out that a good friend of mine was killed in the line of duty as a Law Enforcement Officer. The shooting took place last week; however, I just learned today that Eric Sutphin was the Officer shot and killed. Eric and I was stationed together at Ft. Ritchie MD. 1989-1991. He worked as a Desk Sergeant and we often worked together at Site-R. We were also in the same platoon for awhile. He was a great guy who was always laughing and joking with people.

The odd thing is, that he worked less then an hour from Galax and if I had know I could have stopped and visited with him. While working night shifts together and spending a lot of time discuss the future, neither of us could have foretold the future. It makes me wonder what has happened to the dozen of friends that I have known and lost contact with. How many have died or has went on to great future? How many have fallen on hard times? In the Army you spend a lot of time discussing life after the Army. Some guys have concrete plans, while others plan on just winging it. I just wished that I had a crystal ball where I could see where my friends are.