Making sure the forgotten ones don t get left behind.
That s the goal of a new organization created to help first responders who ve been injured in the line of duty.
It s called Injured Sheepdogs and it was started by Ryan Kendall, a former Milwaukee and West Allis police officer who was injured on the job in 2019 and forced to retire from the department.
The organization, operated by Kendall and his wife Jennifer on a volunteer basis, pledges to provide support, resources and an outlet for both the injured first responders and their families.
Idea spawned
Kendall, 38, of West Allis, said being a cop was his childhood dream and meant everything to him, and to have it ripped away after only a six-year stint in law enforcement led him to some dark times.
It s going to feel different. It s going to be a little extra kick for everybody, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
This wasn t VE Day, a long, uncertain battle ending with the unconditional surrender of a foe.
But it sure felt good. After so much darkness, a bright light wasn t just on the horizon anymore. I think it actually is the day we have been waiting for, the day we feel good and safe gathering indoors, said Patrick Remington, a former epidemiologist for the CDC. The pendulum has really swung back, added Remington, who directs the preventive medicine residency program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now the benefits of gathering in person for fully vaccinated people clearly outweigh the risks.