I retired from my department in 1988. i decided i wanted to go back to my police department, but since i had been gone so long, i would have to go through the whole police academy a second time. boy, was this a tough decision for a 58 year old guy that was out of shape. after many hours of silent deliberation and soul-searching, i decided to make my own destiny. i passed the physicals, i passed the agility courses, i passed the psychological evalucation, i passed the traffic and criminal background checks, i passed the credit score, i passed it all. now, the hard part…..the police academy. i was the oldest officer in history to ever go through my police academy twice. i was the oldest officer there. i knew the generation gap of the younger recruits, would be challenging. i brought my psychi down to their level and the fun began. i was treated with respect and vice versa. i graduated with my class, again in 2002.
The whole thought, behind my long answer, was not to shine the spotlight on me, but rather to give you an example of what self-doubt can or cannot do to a person. i had self-doubt, a bucket full of self-doubt that i would complete my police academy a second time. its was more than tough, it was a killer. but, i did it because i had faith in myself and guardian angels surrounding me and pushing me all the way. my families prayers did not hurt, either.