I just found out this weekend that my father, a Chicago Police Officer, was dispatched to the OLA school to help rescue children. My dad is now 84 years old, and this was the first I heard of it. He could not and would not tell his children about the awful events of that day. Up to Saturday, Dec. 17, 2012, he had never, ever mentioned this to me. The reason he told me about it was our discussion of the tragedy in Connecticut. He described his anguish helping injured children into his squad car, then driving to at least two hospitals before they (he and his partner) found a willing facility. My dad is the toughest of the tough, and listening to him tell his story was very painful; clearly still distraught at the horrible scene they encountered, he broke down and cried when telling it. My heart breaks that he was a witness who did his best to help, and still he couldn't save any lives that day. He, more than ever, is my hero.
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