Hamsnibit

My lowest low would have been when I first started getting the symptoms from PTSD. Id never been through anything like this before and I always thought PTSD was from seeing you buddies killed in war or mistakingly taking a life or something. I had no idea that when you do something completely justified you still can have symptoms. I would be at work and doubled over in pain from my head and neck hurting. It hurt so bad I thought I had a brain tumor or something and I was scared to death I was going to die. When I went to the doctor and they asked questions about it they told me it was classic symptoms of PTSD. It also hurt a lot that my company at the time backtracked on their offer to pay me for as much time off as needed when the therapist took me off work for 6 weeks. Also, the fact that my union was a no show and still hasn't reached out to offer support to this day.

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My highest high would be the support of my friends and family. Them looking out after me and checking on me means the world to me and has helped me keep my head above water.

Being involved in the news as long as you have, would you say times are better or worse than they were 25 years ago? Do you think the speed at which we get information about horrible events and the focus on bad vs good makes it seem as things are actually worse then they are really are?

Possibly, but we don't carry tasers. I also had a very slim window to make a decision. When I first saw him swinging on them I thought he was punching them. It wasn't until the grandmother fell on the ground and I saw him swinging down on her that I noticed the knife. The whole incident took 9 seconds and he stabbed them 12 times between the two of them. He was swinging fast and hard. I knew the next swing could hit the neck, a major artery, the heart, etc... so I had to make the judgement then to pull my gun and fire as I couldn't live with letting him kill these ladies.

I fired one shot to the lower torso that I basically had a 1 second window of opportunity to make due to other people around him. I didn't shoot to kill, I shot to stop, and when he went down I got the weapon away from him. I honestly didn't think he was going to die, but it just so happened it hit a major artery and he bled out internally.

I agree. Mental illness is what needs to be focused on. Interesting how murder rates are the lowest in 50 years in the U.S., yet video game playing is at an all time high. Blaming video games and/or movies shows that you have done little research or thought on what you are supporting.

When my daughter was 18 months old, she fell and hit her head. When I picked her up, her eyes rolled back in her head and she started convulsing. Words cannot describe the feeling I had at that moment thinking she was dying. I don't have a question, but I just wanted to commend you on your strength to make it though this and to be able to openly talk about it.