Donald Surrett is a Hero!
Something happened that disturbed me deeply. Last week, 20 year old Ethan Blair Miller, 20, carrying an AR-15 and a shotgun, walked into a Safeway grocery store in Bend, Oregon and began shooting. On his way into the store he killed an 84 year old man, and just continued spraying bullets as he walked through the doors. This could have been another mass shooting with a dozen people killed, if not for the courageous act of a 66 year old Safeway employee who jumped into action and attacked the shooter with a produce knife, saving the lives of countless shoppers. Unfortunately the brave man who put his life on the line to save others lost his life in doing so.
Donald Surret, Jr. was one of two people killed before the shooter turned the gun on himself. He was a 20 year veteran of the Army. On the US Department of Agriculture website, where Don worked for the Forestry service for 6 years, they posted the following tribute to Don:
He was known for his kind heart, his love of the job, his attention to uniform, his dedication to care of his wife, his connection with church and the Band of Brothers, and his diligence with visitor compliance. When Don saw something that was out of line, he did not hesitate to act, no matter how large or small the transgression.
I know Don was a proud Army veteran and I believe we will hear more of his story as he is now thrust into the national spotlight, both mourned and justly celebrated as the heroic figure directly responsible for preventing further senseless murder of innocent citizens and Safeway team members.
Donald Ray Surrett Jr. did not hesitate to act and is credited with engaging the gunman and giving coworkers and customers time to flee for safety. He made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others.
All this is tragic and disturbing but it’s not the focus of this post. What’s disturbing me is the following:
For the past week news outlets have been recognizing that Don was a hero. They praised his bravery, his service to his country and his community. There was even talk about a suitable memorial. Until… someone dug into his past and discovered that Don was convicted of a sex offense 30 years ago.
Now people are calling into question the memorial or whether Don should be considered a Hero. A local newspaper even reached out to the Safeway store in which he worked to ask how he was able to be employed there.
It’s disgusting! Irrespective of what he did thirty-plus years ago, it’s clear that the man paid his debt to society and spent decades redeeming himself. No greater proof of his current benevolent character is the fact that he confronted an armed gunman to save people’s lives, and now you want to crap on his benefaction because of something he did 30 years ago? Is that really what you want? What lesson can be learned from this?
I’ll tell you… You’re going to shame Safeway over their hiring choice when, in fact, this was the best employee they ever had! What’s more important, an employee who can stack cans of tuna or an employee who will give his own life to protect your customers? Businesses should scramble to hire more employees like Don because the pool of over-qualified candidates on the registry who are so desperate for a menial job that they will do anything for it is abundant.
Here’s the other outcome of besmirching Don’s legacy. You are conditioning the nearly one million people on the registry in this country to not get involved. It’s not worth it! See a kid on the sidewalk having a seizure, cross the street. That’s what we’re conditioned to do because with this label, even the best deed or the greatest sacrifice one can make will never overcome the stigma. It’s time to end this label.
Don Surrett was no threat to public safety. Don Surrett WAS public safety.
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I couldn’t even finish reading this. All I can say is f#@k society in general and their judgemental and perfect ways they all live their perfect lives without any transgressions whatsoever. If I ever find myself in a situation like this hero, Donald. I damn sure won’t be no hero for no one but my immediate family and myself. Society wants to question his actions and even how he was employed? Just proves that even sacrificing your life isn’t enough.
You’ll feel better about society once you scroll through his GoFundMe page as shared by OnceFallen, below.
Yeah, the comments was a little relieving.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/donald-surrett?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer
Thankfully the Surrett family has received a lot of donations but if these yellow journalists struck sooner, they might not have gotten a dime. I know few of us have the money to donate to the Surrett family.
It seems this is the only rag posting this filth.
personally, I’ve reached a point if I had the chance to save people in a similar manner I’d turn and walk away.
Absolutely!! It’s not even a thought for me. Even with my military background, I will completetly refuse to put my life on the line to help an ungrateful, unforgiving and judgemental society. Even though everything within me will want to intervene, I just simply won’t. Some may call it resentments. I call it boundaries.
I have posted a comment and donation at Don’s GoFundMe page as posted by OnceFallen.
From the recent comments there, I am gathering that there are many, many kind people who understand this stuff and don’t care about the media’s nonsense.
I wrote an e-mail letter to the mayor – [email protected] – of Held in regard to this matter:
Hello Anthony Broadman,
I write this email to urge you to allow a memorial to be raised for Donald Ray Surrett, Jr. not just because of his ultimate sacrifice but because a man’s redemption is possible in this politically charged world. I understand your concerns of this potential narrative because of a particular criminal past that was committed 30 years by this man and his status on the Sex Offense Registry.
I understand your concerns of political backlash if his memorial was raised by former victims of his past crime. I appreciate your consideration for the former victims’ feelings on this matter.
But I really believe there is a larger narrative that can be brought up here: A message that a man’s redemption is possible even for the most despised segment of society. A message that someone who is branded a “sex offender” can overcome his past actions and be a contributing member of society. Which is true for Donald Ray Surrett, Jr who has not committed another offense since 1994. That is why a memorial for him is important.
By doing so – it sends a message out that redemption is possible and further incentivizes the ever growing population of people that are on the Sex Offense Registry to live their best lives. It sends a message to the world that most people that have been convicted of sex crimes are reformed members of society which is true.
Please take what I have written into consideration when the city decides what to do next in this matter of erecting a memorial for Donald Ray Surrett, Jr.
Thank You for Listening,
*Feel free to copy and paste this if you want email to him too!
Wow! Really well written. I appreciate you sharing this and I’ve posted it so it has it’s own thread. It’s messages like these that will help change the narrative.
Yeah, that was superbly written!
But the registry isn’t punishment, right?
This type of stuff has been going on for decades if not century’s, This type of stuff will never go away. It’s a dam shame.
My wife and I have the running joke that if I ever did something good or bad that the headline would say, sex offender… As a veteran I believe that if he knew this is how people would react to his bravery, he would still do it. It’s easy to say how we would react, until it happens. People talk about doing the right thing. But, is it the right thing to look at this man this way for, “doing the right thing”? Society is a mess if they can’t celebrate someone who did wrong in life, but did right in the end. But heros who overcome a dark past are only celebrated in movies, not real life.