The mass shooting that has now claimed five lives in Chattanooga. It still doesn’t seem real, does it?
Chattanooga’s the home of the Lookouts, the Choo-Choo, the mountains, the river, the Aquarium, the Mocs, Moon Pie. We’re Gig City, Volkswagen, Amazon, Luther, Coca Cola, TVA and Mr. Belding. We never thought we’d be mentioned on worldwide news outlets this way: “How can we prevent another Chattanooga?”
Do you remember the top local news story the day before all this happened? That’s right. Two city police officers drag racing. And there were those allegedly foul-mouthed Minions toys at McDonalds, too. How trivial it all seems today.
One person, one senseless act, has changed our lives. It has sent shock waves worldwide. It was an attack on our (as in American) military institutions.
Five men, ranging in age from their 20s to 40s, from all over the nation, all committed to a life of service. They all ended up in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
They all reported to their workplace Thursday July 16, doing routine chores. Just another day, until a deranged young man showed up, on a mission to kill. He killed those five men, before police were able to take him down as well.
We now know his mission was not completed. He had enough artillery and ammunition to last for days. We shudder to think of the additional carnage and heartbreak he would have caused, if not for the bravery of our police officers.
People are reluctant to say much right now, and that's understandable. The focus is where it should be, on the lives and families of our five fallen servicemen. But I can tell you that some unnamed (for now) heroes saved a lot of lives that day. Those same police officers, so often maligned by a surprisingly large segment of Americans (see Facebook for proof), contained the killing spree to one area. Had the shooter escaped, what was next on his list?
The active investigation, stretching worldwide, aims to determine why a young man who graduated from Red Bank High and UTC, went on a killing spree. The authorities, and citizens want to know if he left any associates behind. They want to know, and will find out, how someone who has raised a red flag or two managed to acquire, accumulate and transport so much firepower. It is reasonable to assume that this would be hard to accomplish without some help.
I am thankful that the others who were wounded Thursday are going to recover. In the meantime, five families are mourning.
Like us, they wake up each morning, hoping it was just a bad dream. But their husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers are not coming home. The girlfriend of 21-year-old Skip Wells had just made plans to fly to Chattanooga to visit him. "Can't wait," he texted her. "Yes you can honey," she replied. His next message, which would be his last, was "ACTIVE SHOOTER." A few hours later, after reports of the violence had spread worldwide, she texted him, "Hon I need you to answer me please." There would be no reply. Heartbreaking. Now she, and the others who loved these men are making a different set of plans.
Like many of you, I am exhausted. Those of us in the media have worked long hours. Those of you who don't have been glued to your screens, large or small. My job is to gather and dispense information. In this particular case, I succeeded in some areas, and failed in others. People have kindly thanked me (and my colleagues) for what we did well, and believe me, they've been vocal about our mistakes. Eight hours of live television during breaking news requires a lot of unscripted words and statements. Careful as one may be, there are no do-overs. I assure you there was never any attempt to mislead or conceal. I have done the best I could with the information that was available at the time.
The explosion of social media has been a blessing and a curse. In essence, everyone's a journalist now, and some are more reliable than others. On Thursday, rumors were being spread as fact, and photo-shopped images were all over the place. Now more than ever, you truly cannot believe everything you see. Ask any employee of a reputable news outlet, and they'll tell you: half the job these days is sorting fact from rumor. On a breaking news day, it's all-consuming.
But however fatigued I may be, I cannot emphasize enough that I didn't shield a single person. I did not save a life. I didn't dodge a single bullet. I didn't stand out in the heat for hours on end, re-routing traffic, or securing a crime scene. I didn't transport, or treat any of the victims of this mass attack. I didn't have to inform anyone that one of their family members had died. I did not have to enter the residence of a person who had just carried out a terrorist attack, not knowing what traps might lie ahead. I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who carried out these duties. You saved our lives that day, just as you do every day. You go places the rest of us won't go. Quite frankly, places we're afraid to go. Don’t let the critics get you down. Our country remains strong, because of you.
Let me close with the words of someone younger, and wiser than myself. Chris Carroll is my son, and I’m proud of what he has written here:
“I am an extremely proud 2005 Red Bank High graduate, and I love telling people I am from Chattanooga. The suspect does not represent the school I revere or my beautiful home city. In its best moments, my community is loving and respectful of its neighbors, no matter how they worship or live their lives. Let’s all rise above hatred and keep the focus on the victims and their families. They are our heroes.”
(From David Carroll’s ChattanoogaRadioTV.com)