Page 162 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2019

THEFINALSAY
JOHN
MILLER
Biloxi Police Chief
photo courtesy of John Miller
So they asked me to have “The Final Say” in this issue of South Mississippi Living (SML), and I appreciate the opportunity for a number of reasons.
The South Mississippi Heroes issue of SML is certainly timely. For the people of Biloxi, and especially our law enforcement community, it’s certainly an issue that strikes a chord with us following the tragic shooting of longtime Biloxi Police Officer Robert McKeithen.
The numerous acts of kindness and condolences since that heartbreaking night have been appreciated by the men and women of the Biloxi Police Department, as well as Robert’s family. Robert, not unlike those you may encounter each day, was one of those everyday heroes.
In some cases, you don’t appreciate the fact that you’re standing in the presence of a hero until that person is cast into a situation — in some cases, a deadly situation.
I suggest that this Final Say is a chance for us to pause and consider the people we encounter on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s a spouse, a store clerk, or a police officer or a firefighter. How do we treat each other?
I think back to Robert, and I’m reminded of the things
I said during his funeral service. Robert, with his kind- heartedness and easy-going nature, was an extraordinary person, one of those who goes about their day, or their lives, in just the way you hoped they would. He spent the majority of his adult working life in the service of others. First, as one of our nation’s defenders in the United States Air Force, and then as a Biloxi police officer, keeping his community safe.
Robert was proud — proud of his family, proud of his
profession, and proud of his appearance. He kept a shine on his boots, and his uniform had to be just so. But Robert tempered that pride with humility and compassion, and that was apparent by the way he treated people and the way people responded to him. Robert was kind and easy to talk to.
So we ask ourselves why such a man was taken away from us so quickly, so soon, and in such a horrible, horrible way. Well, I prayed for an answer, and prayed. And in my mind, the answer came: God and God alone decides when we leave this earth.
But the thought today is not about how Robert or any other hero died; it’s a time to think about our lives and the impact we make. That’s my lesson from this tragedy. I think about the loves that Robert knew, the friendships he made, the people he helped, the lives he changed, the lives he saved and the good times he had. These things can’t be murdered or destroyed or erased. They have already happened, already been done, and they are a part of this world forever.
What will people say about us when we’re gone? How did we conduct ourselves and treat others? That’s the point: Be kind. Be positive. Be a community hero.
And me, as I think about the everyday community heroes that we can all be, I’ll also think about my fallen officer Robert McKeithen. I prefer to think that today he is doing the same job he was doing at the time he died, only in a much, much better place, with a nicer boss and a new squad where he’s referred to as “the new guy” and not “the old man.” A place where the shine on his boots never dulls and his uniform is always crisp and pressed. Without a doubt he has requested night shift. And, if allowed, he is looking for a cigarette and a cup of coffee right now.
162 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2019
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