Grief, Shock After 'Outstanding' Guard Loses His Life in Line of Duty

Stephen T. Johns, a 39-year-old security guard, was described by his boss as an "outstanding colleague who greeted us every day with a smile." Yesterday, in a flash of gunfire, he was dead -- killed in the line of duty, authorities said, by an avowed white supremacist who entered the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum with a rifle.



Details of the shooting remained sketchy last night, but apparently Johns did not have time to react when 88-year-old James W. von Brunn walked into the museum, according to police sources.

(Washington district director of the Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America Assane) Faye said that during contract negotiations with Wackenhut two years ago, the union pressed for company-issued protective vests. Although Wackenhut seemed open to the idea, vests have not been issued, Faye said.

"I hammered this in our negotiations two years ago because of how sensitive that museum is," he said. "Our guards needed more protection." He said that one of the guards at the museum was "verbally assaulted by one guy walking by, saying anti-Semitic remarks. For that reason, I made that the center of the negotiation."

Authorities said Johns was not wearing a protective vest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/10/AR2009061003884.html?hpid=topnews

:patriot:

have saved Officer Stephen T Johns' life.

Now he's a fallen hero.:patriot:

Very few ballistic vests will actually stop a bullet from a rifle. I had mostly included those two paragarphs as an interesting side of the story; mostly I just wanted to honor someone who risked and, sadly, gave his life for something important.

I honor him too. I wish there was some way he could have seen it coming. I imagine some kind of changes will be made for the next guard who comes to the Holocaust Museum?

Killing a Guard, for what, to show you don’t like the way things are going?
You cant shoot everyone you don’t like, if I did I would run out of bullets.

VOTING is the way to get things done, Change, one Vote at a time. You don’t like something, work to get that changed and if that does not change things the way you want, Vote them Out!!!!

Voting removed the Republicans, that shows Voting Works.

Mr Johns deserves more attention than he's receiving. His life may not seem as spectacular or as colorful as von Brunn. He was apparently just an average guy who enjoyed the same things many of us enjoy, and worked hard for his living. He leaves behind a wife and a son.

Rest in peace, Mr. Johns. Thank you for doing your part to protect our freedom.