Friday, August 5, 2011

Alcohol-Fueled Tragedy

San Diego experienced two tragedies a couple of days ago, both fueled by alcohol. There is a lesson to be learned, not one that absolves anyone of personal responsibility, but one that suggests that drinking remains a dangerous activity.

A police officer, on the day that he was to appear in court to answer for a drunk driving and hit-and-run episode while off duty, went into the back yard of his home and shot himself to death. He left a wife and three children.

A Marine Gunnery Sergeant was riding his motorcycle and, while stopped at a stoplight, was hit by a drunk driver and left bleeding on the pavement as she fled the scene. He is a veteran of four tours in Afghanistan, and today is in serious danger of losing his life.

The driver was a young woman of 21 and had a blood alcohol content of .35 percent. She is, tragically, married to a Marine, and was drinking due to depression over her husband’s impending deployment to Afghanistan.

It’s all enough to just break your heart.

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