A powerful video is going viral this week showing the emotional moment a former Marine signs off for the last time as he retires from a Virginia police department after 26 years.
Robert Monk has worked for the Bedford Police Department since 1993, and it finally came time for him to retire this week. Before that, he served in the United States Marine Corps for four years and fought in Operation Desert Storm.
As Robert made his final dispatch call, his son Tyler was on the other end of the radio congratulating him as his daughter Briana recorded the moment. An emotional Robert used his last sign-off to thank his fellow officers and to offer them some inspirational words of encouragement.
“We all got into this job with the idea that we might be able to save the world,” he said. “You may not change the world but you may change somebody’s world.”
His fellow officers came over the radio to congratulate Robert one by one, with one officer saying “Semper Fi Devil Dog,” referring to the U.S. Marine motto of Semper Fidelis.
“It was an honor to serve the Bedford community for over 25 years – the people of Bedford made it easy for me to serve,” Robert said. “There were times when I had to respond to a friend’s house or arrest people that I knew personally and times like that are a challenge to say the least. But I see situations like that as an opportunity to help and be a positive influence for someone.”
“As I used to tell younger officers, people don’t call the police to tell you what a wonderful day they are having. They call because they are having the worst day of their life and what you do in that moment they will remember the rest of their life,” he continued. “I’ve even had one person approach me years later and thank me for arresting him. He explained that it turned his life around for the better. In short having served in the community I live in was both challenging and rewarding.”
We would like to thank Robert for all his years of service to his country and his community, and we hope he enjoys his much-deserved retirement!
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