“WE WILL HELP!”

Captain Paul Lee (Ret.)*

Chattanooga, TN, Police Department

As soon as the T-shirts were ready that FCPO had made up for the Gulfport Police Department, another board member and I took them to Gulfport. After clearing innumerable traffic checkpoints in areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, we reached Gulfport. There we found police officers from all over the nation working. Everyone was busy, yet no one complained. Gulfport Police Headquarters had been destroyed in the storm, and they were working out of temporary offices. Even so, and on top of everything else they had to do, the department was feeding all the volunteers in a makeshift cafeteria.

After introductions, we began to hear stories of sheer horror, courage, gallantry, and integrity. One officer and his family were forced into their attic and then onto the roof through a hole they made. They clung to each other for survival for all ten hours of the storm. In the nearby community of Pass Christian, the storm surge pinned officers down in their own building. They shot the windows out, made a human chain, and went to the library next door. There, on the second floor, they tore out computer cables to tether themselves to a brick column as the waters rose. We heard story after story of miraculous survivals as well as tragic deaths. The magnitude of destruction and loss and of cleanup efforts already underway absolutely could not be described!

Even before going to Gulfport, we knew FCPO would mount an effort to help police and other first responders rebuild their homes and their lives. After seeing the situation firsthand, we were even more committed. Unlike police officers in other states and cities who abandoned their posts, those on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi stood their ground at the risk of their own lives. In total mental agony, they waited for the storm to begin, battled through it, and were back on the streets even before it was safe. Their motto is “to protect and serve,” and that’s what they did!

On our drive back to Chattanooga, I couldn’t help but think—when citizens need help, they call the police. But when the police need help, who do they call? They’re pretty much the end of the line. Even though FCPO is not a large ministry, we were going to answer their call. I didn’t know how, what, or how much; I just knew that was what God wanted us to do.

*Former president, Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers-USA (FCPO)