Recently, I heard from a good friend in the tactical law enforcement community, owner of TacView, a great tool for all SWAT teams, that another friend, Michael Finley, had throat cancer. I just chatted with him a few months ago. Well, yesterday I sent him a note and told him I've been praying for him and that I added his name to a prayer roll at the temple. Temples are different than churches at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At any rate, he wrote back and thanked me, described a bit of his battle with cancer, and gave me a link to his blog. He said it's to keep family and friends updated, but after reading his blog titled "Easy Like Sunday Morning...", I just had to share.
For those who suffer tough times, attitude can make all the difference. Michael Finley has one of the best attitudes of any operator I've ever met. In fact, when I met him, he was the president of the Texas Tactical Police Officer Association (TTPOA) and a team leader on Dallas SWAT team. Often, when outsiders envision guys with such stature, they may immediately think of some giant, knuckle-dragging oaf who hates everyone and is mean. That Hollywood image is simply not the case. It's especially not true with Finley. His giant smile and his contagious energy sets him apart as one of the most outstanding professionals I've ever met.
For some good laughs and SWAT stories, check out Michael Finley's blog. Hopefully he'll publish a book!
http://mfinleyblog.com/
Get well, brother. And, thanks for the laughs and great stories. Your optimistic attitude is infectious.
To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK
About Me
- Jeffrey Denning
- I'm the author of four books: Warrior SOS, The Work of Death, Together Forever, and Leaders Wanted. I'm in the doc film Please Remove Your Shoes. I've blogged for The Washington Times, and I write for Guns.com. I've worked for the high-profile U.S.-led Roadmap to Mideast Peace in Israel and Palestine. I've also worked as a SWAT team leader, a Federal Air Marshal and a sole-source training instructor on a classified contract with a U.S. government customer. My master's degree is in Military Studies and terrorism. I'm a former noncommissioned and commissioned Army officer, with service in Iraq. I've been Scuba diving and skydiving; I have trained with members of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team, and I'm an FBI-trained crisis negotiator. My interests lie in helping others and in strengthening America through inspiring moral courage, government fiscal responsibility and accountability, and maintaining principles that have made--and will continue to make--the United States of America a blessed and prosperous country. I'm a father of six, a husband, and a police officer. I reside in Utah, and I'm a Mormon. See also https://jeffreydenning.wordpress.com.
Hi Jeffrey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the very heart-felt workshop at ILEETA. I'd love to talk to you more about some emotional warrior Neurosculpting® training, and perhaps see if you were interested in submitting an article or two (perhaps even recycled ones from here) so I can begin a trauma page on my site. I look forward to talking with you.
Be well,
Lisa