LIFE STORIES TRAGEDY IN LAS VEGAS
KEITH BETTINGER
It is Tuesday October 3 . I spent part of the day in the parking lot opposite the Mandalay Bay hotel helping my friends in the Fraternal Order of Police feed and hydrate the first responders working at the murder scene . Police officers are working twelve hour shifts , yet they are friendly and professional . They never pass up a chance to thank us for coming to help them . It was also the day I found out the lady I was trying to locate the night before , is one of the fatalities .
The community of Las Vegas , known as Sin City , may have lost whatever innocence it had , but it has not lost its heart . Hotel marquees display messages of sorrow for the victims and praise for the first responders . People are pulling up with food , beverages and ice saying “ I just want to help ”. The generosity has been so great some of the collection places have had to turn people and their gifts away and redirect them to other locations because they are over supplied . All the people are coming near the tragedy scene trying to give something back to the first responders . Hotels are sending food and sandwiches . Ice , snack packs , water , Gatorade , soft drinks , pizza , pastries and just about anything you can think of is offered freely by the people wanting to help and thank someone for what the first responders did .
It was eerie looking up at the two broken out golden windows and realizing how much death and pain rained down from them . It makes me feel once again like I did back on 9 / 11 . Tomorrow I will be back with my friends from the local Fraternal Order of Police lodges , trying to help take care of the first responders and wondering where do these brave people come from ?
It is Wednesday , October 4 President Trump has arrived in Las Vegas with the first lady . They have travelled to two important locations ; the trauma center at UMC ( University Medical Center ) to meet with survivors of this horrific event and the headquarters of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department . I have spent the morning with fellow Fraternal Order of Police friends making coffee and making sure first responders have enough nourishment and fluid to help them make it through their current assignment .
When we arrived at seven o ’ clock this morning waiting to greet us was the lid of a cardboard box from a restaurant . On it were messages of thanks for the police officers , thanking them for what they have done while providing them with a little rest and nourishment .
WRITERS ’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE
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FALL 2017