Friday here in Maryland was just beautiful, with clear skies and temperatures in the high 70s. Having some errands to run, I took my motorcycle instead of my car, and was out for several hours.

When I got home around 3, I turned on my XM Radio and tuned in Fox News, and the first thing I heard was something about a car trying to ram through a security checkpoint at the White House, and shots fired, and US Secret Service and US Capitol Police officers being injured...

Knowing my son was at work, I called his cell phone, and was so relieved to hear his voice! He couldn't talk long, but he did let me know he was okay, and that his co-worker's injuries were not that serious. He had not been directly involved in the incident, but he had responded to it, and ended up remaining on the scene for most of the evening.

Karma is a bear. Back in 1981, seven years into my Fire Department career, I was seriously injured. My Dad told me how concerned he was about me and my brother (who was a Maryland State Trooper), and suggested I look into a career change. I told him I was all grown up (I was 28) and that he shouldn't worry. He replied, adamantly, that he would worry about me until the day he died, and that when I became a father, I would understand...and boy, was he right!

I am very proud of my son and his comrades. Those young men and women -- who are not even being paid during this government shutdown -- responded professionally, conducted themselves bravely, and fulfilled their mission of protecting the White House. God bless them...