A few days ago this man shot and killed four Mounties in Alberta. I was looking at the pictures in the CBS website www.cbc.ca and found them so sad. There were rows and rows of Mounties in their serge uniforms crying. One of them had a twin brother in the Mounties and there was a photo of him saluting his brother's casket as he cried. I have a cousin who was a Mountie, he's retired now. It's a sad time for the country.
It's hard to explain how we feel about the Mounties, they aren't just our national police force, they are more a symbol of our country. I've always had a hard time explaining to my American friends what the Mounties mean to the average Canadian. They are a part of us, of our identity, of our soul. So we all mourn when one dies. I think this is the first time that so many have died at once. They are so respected and honoured in Canada. I remember a story about them that I thought was funny. Back in the 80s the Mounties were caught illegally wiretapping the Mafia. So the law was changed to make it legal. After all, if the Mounties felt they needed to go after the Mafia, then why hinder them?
When I was working for a Florida insurance claims adjuster's office in my early 20s in we used to investigate and reimburse people for stolen items. In the 2 years I worked there, the only time the police found the items was when tourists from Florida were vacationing in Canada and their camera was stolen from their car. We actually got a letter from the Mounties saying they have the camera! I and the other Canadian in the office did a little gloating that day!
We love our Mounties and I pray for the families of these fallen heroes.
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