Cop Pulls Over Man Who Looks Like His Late Son & Asks for a Hug
Serving in the U.S. military is an incredible sacrifice for the men and women who make the decision to serve their country, but it’s also a challenge for the families they leave behind.
Sometimes, they don’t come home.
For William Jazwinski, the support came in an unexpected way.
Jazwinski was driving home in his pickup truck one day when he was pulled over by a local police officer. Not sure what he had done wrong, Jazwinski waited patiently for the officer to come to the window and explain.
Instead, the officer just wanted to say thank you.
The Army veteran asked the officer, “was I speeding?” after he had greeted him with a friendly good morning. What happened in that interaction was completely unexpected and had both men in tears by the end.
Thanking him for his service
The police officer told William that he didn’t really have a reason to pull him over, he just wanted to thank the Army veteran for his service. William was told that he wasn’t speeding and the officer just wanted to talk to him and express the respect he has for the job he did.
It took William a little while, but he figured that the police officer must have realized he was in the military thanks to his bumper sticker.
“You’re welcome, sir, my pleasure,” Jazwinski replied. The officer asked where he served and Jazwinski replied he had finished a 15-month tour in Iraq not long before.
The officer said his son had also done a tour in Iraq, but unfortunately did not return. Jazwinski offered the officer his condolences and then mentioned he, too, had returned from a PTSD program during his transition back to civilian life.
But it’s the interaction that followed between the two men that quickly went viral.
“Do you mind stepping out and receiving a hug?” the cop asked. “You remind me of my son. I pulled you over. I thought you were him. I still don’t believe it most days he’s gone.”
William says with tears in both of their eyes, he got out of his truck and “hugged that man.”
The embrace wasn’t like two strangers simply greeting each other.
His tears started rolling down his face, and there was no way that William could leave this officer on the side of the road weeping. He did what most people would have done in that situation and embraced the law enforcement officer.
It was the hug that William, who had just finished a PTSD program, desperately and unknowingly needed.
The interaction with the police officer got William thinking, and he wanted to share it with the world. The I.r.a.q veteran chose to share this moment on social media, and it was later picked up by the human interest page, Love What Matters.
William closes his post with a message “to all of the family and friends of soldiers, fighting or done fighting, God bless you.”
Land of the free because of the brave. May we all be reminded today of the great sacrifices that are made daily for our freedom.
Source:faithit.com, kiwireport.com
