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When you go to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History website and search for the Star Spangled Banner; you find the following text: “On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. Key’s words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories.
Virginia Police Department. You might remember that Chris wrote a letter in response to a second-string quarter- back who protested during the national anthem. By now, you should have read the letter Amos wrote that we posted on our website. If not, turn to page 47 and read it here. Brother Amos posted this letter on his Facebook page on Aug. 27, and through re-postings, re-tweets and the nature of the internet and social media, it has received more than 20 million views.
Recent antics that have occurred during the singing of our national anthem fly directly into the face of what the anthem and the flag of the United States of America stand for. There are more than a few athletes out there who have decided it is better to perform on the sidelines than play on the field. These are the same overpaid individuals who tend to scream at the ticket agents whenever their first class flight is late or worse yet, the flight gets canceled. They are the same ones who throw tantrums and demean desk clerks whenever their luxury hotel fails to carry the exact type of designer bottled water they are accustomed to drinking. And they never want go out in public unless they have the law enforcement community protecting them from their “fans.” How ironic.
Chris continues to speak out and voice his unwavering support for the many reasons why we (the Police) should continue to confirm our allegiance to the job we do, to the cities we protect, to the nation we serve and to the flag for which it stands. Chris said he never really intended to gar- ner such a reaction, he just want to educate this player – and any others who support his perspective – about what police officers endure every day and to address the igno- rance that was shown by this player’s comments disparag- ing law enforcement.
We recently spoke with Chris Amos, the retired officer and FOP member, who worked for 27 years for the Norfolk,
Chris only wanted to provide a voice for all of the police officers who were probably thinking exactly what Chris wrote. And above all, Chris Amos made a statement that everyone would do well to remember: No matter who you are, we live in a country that promises liberty and justice for all. Because of Chris’ open letter, because of our military and our police officers, we were not only inspired, we wanted our cover to make a statement. d
and time-consuming to say the least. The Lodge has ensured that all retirees will have the proper support net- work to help them navigate the new offering.
about our members than our members cared about the same city they kept safe for years.
Behind the Anthem
Therefore, in the center of this month’s Lodge 7 Magazine is a multi-page “insert section” dedicated to our current and future retirees and their spouses. We have attempted to include as much information as possible at this stage, with the promise that much more will be forthcoming. Shortly, the FOP enrollment packets will be mailed out, as will an announcement of a north side and a south side location where informational sessions will take place. Please review the pull-out section and, most importantly, please complete the checklist in order to be as prepared as possible when you meet to discuss your healthcare options with one of the insurance representatives.
In order to ensure that the next generation of Chicago Police Officers are not only able to access the best health- care coverage possible once they retire, we need to make certain that the coverage is also as affordable as possible. Toward that end, the current administration promises that we will focus on searching for an investment program that is designed to offset insurance costs once someone retires. Similar to a “save now, use later” program, active officers can set aside a predetermined amount of funding that will sit in a trust account to be used for insurance coverage post-retirement. These programs are generally known as health savings accounts (HSA). Our intention is to locate the best possible HSA option(s), meet with the city for pro- gram approval and offer our members the option to enter into such a plan that would be payroll deducted. Obviously, more on this will follow as we gather the perti- nent information.
Future Retiree Health Care Options
As we have been searching long and hard to secure a more than viable option of coverage for our current retirees’ healthcare benefits, our next healthcare focus must be a nationwide search to ensure that our current active members have healthcare options when the day comes for them to retire. It is less than fair that after years and years of committed and dedicated service, ending up with no financial support toward one’s insurance after retirement demonstrates that the City appears to care less
One of the main and most unique differences when it comes to being the police is, as with most everything else...if we don’t keep looking out for each other, who else will? d
Be Safe and God Bless the Police
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2016 7