Got the Job!

Nathan, the funeral director, called on Wednesday afternoon (6/25/08) and had me come in the following day for a second interview. I was offered the attendant position, part-time, on-call around my schedule, and a paid position...I accepted. I won't start until August before school starts since my drug test needs to be examined as does my background check. Nathan also confirmed that the "preparation" portion of the mortuary will be officially be moved in August. Hopefully that means I will be moved to that area much more quickly. Overall I am pretty excited but I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about juggling work, school, and a husband and puppies. Wish me good luck, I am going to need it.

Eye Appointment

Matthew has been suffering from a terrible, constant headache for about a week now. He has gone to the doctor and the doc prescribed some pills which of course didn't work. So, I suggested we go get our eyes checked. It was about time for me and I thought maybe the reason the medication wasn't working was something more physical.
So we had our appointments and my eyes are just lovely, despite the need for glasses. My prescription has hardly changed at all and the other tests were fine. Matthew on the other hand is going to need glasses. BUT that isn't the most interesting part of the story. Apparently when he had his eyes checked at this same establishment 2 years ago, he needed glasses than. It seems that they "prescribed" him glasses but NEVER told him about it. According to his medical file he is supposed to and has been wearing glasses for the past two years. Needless to say that Matthew and the doctor were very surprised. I am no expert, but that seems like a malpractice suit or at the very least they owe him a huge apology.

Isabel Maria Cuadrado

I am happy to announce my friends Melissa and Agustin welcomed into the world their baby daughter. She was born yesterday (6/17/08) at 3:04 pm. She is 7 lbs 2 ounces and 21 inches long. I visited her in the hospital and aside from the cone head she is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Her eyes are not blue but very light colored and she has blond hair. She is simply gorgeous. Mommy Melissa is doing fine, just extraordinarily tired! Daddy cannot leave Isabel's side for a second and is grinning from ear to ear. I am so happy for them!

Job Interview

I just got home about an hour ago from a job interview at a mortuary. I put in an application about a week ago after having met with the funeral director about a month before that.

It has been said by many in the law enforcement and crime scene profession that before I continue my education too far that I should have some hands on experience with the deceased. Many say that they have seen people who have become educated forensic experts who than passed out or vomited at the sight of a real dead person. All those years of school would be worthless if you find out you can't handle it. So, that is why I met with Nathan, the funeral director.

Originally he had me scoped out to become a part-time receptionist, but after we talked for a little while he realized that that wasn't exactly what I was interested in. So, he is now looking for an attendant position for me. The hours would be more flexible around school, and that is essential to my accepting any position. An attendant works with the family, prepares for the services and has some minimal interaction with the deceased. It is his goal that come August-October, when the preparation portion of the mortuary will be transferred from a more distant location to our location, that he can put me in a position much more suited to my interests.

I am so pumped. The interview went great and Nathan was easy to get along with and talk to. It sounds like he is going to do all he can to accommodate my schedule and rearrange some staff to get me a position. I should hear back from him after Thursday of next week. There of course is a chance I won't accept or he won't be able to find anything, but overall the interview went swimmingly.

More Memorial Videos

I was surfing the net this morning and found more videos made by people just like me. They didn't know Officer Hite but were touched by his sacrifice. These videos are posted mostly for me so that I can find them again in the future.

http://www.azfamily.com/video/allnewsheadlines-index.html?nvid=253399&shu=1

Good News/Bad News

Matthew had a doctor's appointment scheduled for today but his work called him out to Marana, so he asked me to go in his place. I have a mole on my upper back that seems to have gotten larger since I came home from California a couple months ago with a sunburn. So, the doctor's office let me go in his place and we weren't penalized.

The good news is that my mole is completely normal and I can electively decide to remove it if I wish.

The bad news is that my blood results came back and I am "slightly" allergic to wheat. It is kind of weird...if the number was 11 or below, than you are not allergic. If the number was 17 or above than you are allergic. My number was 13, which puts me somewhere in the middle. I have to go to a GI doctor now for further testing. Oh well, at least I am finally getting to the bottom of all my intestinal problems.

Memorial T-Shirt

Billboard and Additional Thoughts

This billboard was placed today at the corner of Golf Links and Kolb. I was in the neighborhood so I dropped by and snapped a quick photo.

It has been very interesting to hear other people's opinions about the death of Officer Hite. Many are as touched as I am and are deeply saddened, others seem to give it very little thought or found it an inconvenience. I journeyed to a dentist appointment the day of Officer Hite's funeral and my dental hygienist commented that "the traffic was horrible, I almost didn't make it back from lunch on time, and hey, people get killed everyday...what's the big deal?" Wow! Luckily she had numerous tubes and equipment in my mouth so that I couldn't rebut.

I have thought a lot about the hygienist's statement over the past couple of days. It is unimaginable to me that people could think that someone's death could be an inconvenience. It is so very important for us as a community to honor this man first and foremost because he was a servant to our community but also because he was a human being. He was a husband, a father, and a friend to people who loved him deeply. It sickens me to think that there are people in Tucson who cheapen his sacrifice because it cramped their style. Yes, people do get killed everyday but how many of them get killed saving other people? How many took an oath to serve and protect and died doing exactly that?

I found a website today called "The Officer Down Memorial Page" (http://www.odmp.org/) and their mission statement says:

The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America's fallen law enforcement heroes. More than 18,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States and it is with great honor that the ODMP pays a lasting tribute to each of these officers by preserving their memories within its pages. All who visit the ODMP will be deeply moved by the countless stories of selfless courage and heroism exhibited by officers who lost their lives while serving and protecting the citizens of this great nation."

They died protecting us and THAT is why it is a big deal!

Last Call for Officer Erik Hite

What an Amazing Sight!

Here are the photos taken by me during the precession for Officer Erik Hite. The precession went north on Houghton, west on Speedway, north on Kolb which eventually turned into Grant Road. The funeral was held at East Lawn Palms (where my Grandma and Grandpa Skibinski are buried). I was situated right at the entrance to the cemetery. I plan to have more follow-up within the next couple of days but for today I am all cried/tired out.

Roadside Memorial & Obituary

For those interested...the funeral for officer Hite will be televised tomorrow (6/10/08) in Tucson on Channel 4 (KVOA) from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm.

These images were taken by me on Sunday June 8th.










This is the cross I left at the memorial


It is traditional amongst law enforcement and military braches to leave a pair of empty boots to signify the human loss.


These badges represent all the departments and law enforcement agencies who have come to pay their respects. Tucson Fire Department was there while I was visiting.

Obituary

Hite, Erik D.
Erik D. Hite End of Watch: Monday, June 2, 2008 Badge Number: 46584 Erik D. Hite, 43, a dedicated servant of justice, retired Air Force Security Policeman and first shirt, active duty Tucson Police officer, died Monday, June 2nd. He was mortally wounded in the line of duty on Sunday morning, June 1st, and never regained consciousness. Erik was a greatly loving and greatly loved son, brother, husband, and father, as well as a Harley-riding, wisecracking, health-conscious, weightlifting, bilingual, awe-inspiring physical presence whose heart was always in the right place. He was born in Susanville, in northeastern California, on March 14, 1965, and was raised on a small farm near Janesville, also in Lassen County, where his dad was a career corrections officer at the state prison and where Erik grew up playing in the fields, working on the farm, chasing cows and building forts with his brother and sisters and cousins. Erik was born knowing that he wanted to be, and was going to be, a police officer, and as soon as he graduated from Lassen County High School in 1983, he enlisted in the Air Force in Reno, and spent the next twenty years serving as an SP. Wherever he was assigned, to whatever detail, Erik was a high-speed airman. He was good to work with, easy to talk to, and completely directed. His son Roy was born on Howard Air Force Base in Panama in 1988, where Erik was stationed as a Security Specialist. From Panama, Erik went to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, where he had to endure terrible winters which he did not miss at all when he was PCSed in 1992 to Kaiserslautern Air Force Base in southwestern Germany for the following six years. From Germany he was reassigned to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, where he met Nohemy Rodriguez-Sandoval of Comayagua, with whom he fell instantly and permanently in love. In 2000, when he returned to the United States to serve as an SP at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, he and Nohemy had been married for a year. By 2003 Erik was ready to stop moving, and retired that year from the Air Force as a Master Sergeant. He stayed with his wife and son in Tucson, and made the city his home. He joined the Tucson police force in February 2004, and had been assigned to the East Side since graduating from the academy soon after. He'd take Chispita, his Brussels-Griffon terrier, tucked inside his black leather jacket, for a ride on the Harley. He loved doing anything at all with Nohemy, and wrestling with Roy, who he could still take easily, but not as easily as he could when the kid was two years smaller. He worked full-time, as well as off-duty. He earned a Bachelor's in Science, Cum Laude, from Park University in 2007, and he had a second degree, in Criminal Justice, underway. He trained in Crisis Intervention. He graduated from TPD'S Instructor course last year as well, and immediately volunteered to help the new recruits with their training. In 2006 alone, Erik made 700 arrests, more than double the departmental average, and often led his squad in all statistics. His division captain handpicked him for traffic assignments, and he was recognized in 2005 and 2007 for his exemplary performance. "Erik was a hard charger," a fellow TPD officer said. "When he was backing you up, you knew everything would be okay." You were always glad to see him arrive and always sorry to see him go. Unless you were a perpetrator. He loved his work. He loved being settled. Last fall, Erik's father gave him a truck, a 1957 Seafoam Green Chevy pickup, named Old Blue, in pretty good condition. He loved that truck, and being a self-taught motorhead, loved working on it. He was a presence in his neighborhood: he'd wash his bike in the driveway, take walks with Nohemy and Chispita, and josh with the local kids. After he and Nohemy's treasured daughter, Samantha, was born last June, she came along on the walks too. He was crazy about Samantha: as soon as he got home from a shift, all he wanted to do was be with her. He figured out what a baby her age could learn, and taught it to her. His son Roy went to high school in Tucson, and spent most of those years wrangling with his dad over which service and in what capacity he could enlist. In May 2007, shortly after he graduated from high school, Roy entered the Air Force, to become a security policeman, just like his father had in 1983. At the end of his enlistment, he plans to become a police officer. Roy was very proud of his father. Erik was very proud of his boy. From childhood Erik intended to serve the public good, and he did exactly that, in both the Air Force and the Tucson Police Department, and did it with distinction and uncompromised honor. He lived his life fully, with great physical energy, and with the power of his convictions. He was a good man, a model airman, and a cop's cop. He did some good, every shift - on duty, and at home. Erik had complete faith in God, favored the 23rd Psalm, and was a devoted member of Saguaro Canyon Evangelical Free Church. He loved his church family as his own. In addition to his wife Nohemy, his children Samantha and Roy, and his daughter-in-law, Katie, Erik is survived by his parents, Roy and Mary Jane Hite, of Florence, Oregon; by his sister, Nevada Benton and her husband Nate, who reside in Colorado, teach Tsimshian children in Alaska, and have worked on science support in Antarctica; his sister Royleen Mahic, of Chico, California; and by his brother, Sean Hite, also of California. He is loved and remembered as well by many other relatives, many friends, and his brothers and sisters in law enforcement around the world. "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. You are not obligated to complete this work, but neither are you free to abandon it." Viewing from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2008 at ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel, 1050 N. Dodge Blvd. Funeral services at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at Pantano Christian Church, 10355 E. 29th St. Donations to the Hite family can be made through any Wells Fargo bank, indicating the TPD Officer Erik Hite Benefit Fund No. 2475164071.
Published in the Tucson Newspapers on 6/8/2008.

Tucson can be an Awful Place to Live

I cannot even begin to describe to you the grief I feel about the lastest officer shooting here in Tucson. Officer Erik Hite was shot in the head on Sunday June 1, 2008 and died the following afternoon surrounded by his family. This is the fourth officer killed in the last five years in Tucson and each time it is more and more devastating. If I have an opportunity to attend Officer Hite's funeral (or at least watch it on TV), I intend to. Anyone who knows me knows how deeply I care about the police department and all they do for us. What a tragedy for the Hite family.

Officer Patrick Hardesty was killed on May 26, 2003




Deputy Timothy Graham was killed on August 10, 2005

Miko, a K-9 officer, was killed on May 27, 2006

Officer Erik Hite passed away on June 2, 2008

Next time you get pulled over or receive a ticket remember these pictures and be thankful!

Photos are the property of their respective entities and are used without permission. No infringement intended. The three above photos were taken at the funeral of Deputy Graham.

Graduation Photos