Internet Buddys

[HotGuns]

I would guess that many people on this forum are like me, they surf several internet sites that hold their interests. There are thousands of them out there and most of them cater to special interests. There are so many that they can be mind boggling. Virtually any hobby is covered by at least a couple of forums, and even hobbys that I had no idea even existed.

Even so, most of us have favorite forums that we log on to more than others. Me, being into guns and ammo a lot, tend to spend a lot of time on various guns boards. For the most part, the people are like me, we have similiar likes and there is always something new to learn. Its a fact that the boards can be a wealth of information, some so obscure that it may be hard to find somewhere else. An example would be some of the various firearms that I have come across. Some of them may be difficult to assemble, or worse, reaassemble when you take them apart. I hate it when I put something together and I have a spring or a pin, or some itty bitty part left over that I didnt have before.

I am convinced that some guns are demon possessed, as I have witnessed springs take off flying across the room never to be seen again, parts roll of the table and dissappear and some parts just absolutely refuse to go back in the way they came out. In many cases, I have been saved just by asking the right question in the right forum somebody there knew the answer and could bail me out to the point that with their guidance and instruction, I could actually put the gun back together and shoot it without it blowing up.

Every now and then thorugh dialogue on the forums, someone sort of sticks out and you strike up a relationship with them. You message back and forth and in some cases you PM each other getting various questions answered and even contributing what little knowledge you may possess to someone else and its all good. I guess its a natural thing to migrate to people that you like and respect that have the same basic thoughts and hobbys as you.

I have been fortunate to meet some of the people in real life and so far in each and every case I have been more impressed than I would have thought. They have all been polite, good salt of the earth people and in a few cases we became friendly on a family to family basis.

I really never thought about some of the relationships that I have built over the years have had an impact on my life, but lately one has been weighing heavily on my mind and it has suprised me somewhat. About 10 years ago, when I first started messing around on the computer and actually conversting with people through the various boards, I " met" a man that seemed to be a good sort of human being. He started out life as a jailer, wanting to eventually be a police officer, and I remember congratulating him when he finally got the opportunity to go to the academy and eventually on to patrol. I remember when he had doubts that he could even make it through, but he perserverd and did just that. He loved his job and he loved people. He liked to shoot and he would post often of his adventures as a cop in the big city of Memphis. We would swap stories and he had some good ones to tell. I enjoyed his posts and he got to be a regular on at least one that I knew of. Its was a smaller board, not just a whole lot of visitors on it so I got to know him a bit more than that average person.

He pm'ed me the other day and the pm went unanswered for a few days, which I thought to be odd as he always was pretty responsive. I got busy and didnt get to play on the net much for a few days and when I logged on I saw a post that disturbed me somewhat. It was about of picture of an officer that was killed in the line of duty, having walking into a domestic dispute which turned into a gun battle. It did recieve a lot of press. I had a bad feeling about reading that post for some reason. The next day it was confirmed as our friend,and every one on that board was in a state of shock. It just seemed to close to home, the fact that someone we knew, someone we talked with and kidded with and just hung out, passing posts back and forth, was all of a sudden no more.

At first, I was mad. Mad as heck that some scum sucking puke of a human being killed someone that I considered a friend in what seemed like such a senseless killing. Then I found myself asking WHY? That man left behind two kids a wife. He was thought by most to be a good man, and good men are getting harder to find these days. When the realization of the event hit me, I slept very little that night. I just couldnt get it out of my mind. I felt a sense of loss that I would have never expected. Here was a man that I never actually met, but one that I could probably sit with and talk to like we had known each other our whole lives. A guy that I had pm'ed over the years, discussed various things, a guy that I enjoyed talking to on the computer.

I would have never ever guessed that a killing could affect me as much as it has. With that being said, I am posting an article about my friend. Although I never met him,am I sure that when its all over at some point in time we will meet.
Fatal shootings stemmed from domestic dispute - Westport News

RIP Officer Warren.
You have done well.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[CUMMINS]

The forums are a great place to meet people, its a shame that a senseless act had to take a person that was by accounts a good man.

[Walk Soft]

Sorry for your loss.This is why police should be paid better and appreciated more.

[DaRedneck]

I am very sorry for your loss. It is tragic and horrible and senseless.

I can relate to where you are coming from in forming friendships over forums. I am on another board with less than 250 members. Been there since it started just over 3 years ago. To anyone who says you can't actually make a friend without meeting them in person, I say bull hockey! I have a few.

Very sorry for your loss man.

RIP Officer Warren

[BugDude]

That's a terrible loss for his wife, 8 year old son, and 4 year old daughter as well as for his friends and community. The world has lost a good person, but is surely a better place because of his life and the way he treated others while he was here. My prayers go out to all of his family and friends...including you. Sometimes internet friends become very close because it can be easier to share inner elements with someone over the net than it is in person. I know it hurts deep because he was not only a friend but a fellow officer. Stay safe man.

[QKShooter]

R.I.P. Officer Warren

[WonderBra]

Your grief and your loss stems from the fact that he was an actual person behind the post, not some anonymous random computer systems. It is easy to forget in this "virtual world" that there are actual people with feelings and families behind each poster.

HotGuns, your sense of grief is from the loss of an actual person. To say you've never "met" him in person is not true. You've "met" him more than the person you physically bump into in subway or at a gym.

My condolences and prayers for you and your friend.

[retsupt99]

I am very sorry about this very sad news. His family and cohorts are added to my DC list.

[SpencerB]

Very sad story. Thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and internet buddys

[stevem174]

That's a sad story, I am sorry for your loss. He and his family will be in our thoughts and prayers.

The world is a small place and it's only getting smaller.

[OD*]

Sorry for your loss, Hotguns.

Prayers for the family. Godspeed, Officer Warren.

[Hiram25]

HotGuns, I would say that you both benefited from your exchanges on the forum and by pm. A friend is a friend regardless of how you meet them, in person, or through discussions on a forum or email message. You will always feel the way you do when you lose a friend. I say that it is better to have known him before he was taken away, than not to have know him at all. Prayers for you, Officer Warren and his family.

[claude clay]

life is the moments inbetween
the time we share together
some for longer...some seem shorter
in the end , all together again.

[DefConGun]

Sorry for your loss. Prayers for Officer Warren's family.

[INccwchris]

Saint Michael, heaven's glorious commissioner of police,
who once so neatly and successfully cleared God's premises
of all its undesirables, look with kindly and professional
eyes on your earthly force.

Give us cool heads, stout hearts, and uncanny flair for
investigation and wise judgement.

Make us the terror of burglars, the friend of children and
law-abiding citizens, kind to strangers, polite to bores,
strict with law-breakers and impervious to temptations.

You know, Saint Michael, from your own experiences
with the devil that the police officer's lot on earth is not
always a happy one; but your sense of duty that so
pleased God, your hard knocks that so surprised the
devil, and your angelic self-control give us inspiration.

And when we lay down our night sticks, enroll us in your
heavenly force, where we will be as proud to guard the
throne of God as we have been to guard the city of all
the people. Amen.


10-42 received Officer Warren, may the streets of heaven be ever safer by your presence. We have your watch now.