Your Opinion: Forgotten essential workers

Daniel Kliethermes

New Bloomfield

Dear Editor:

We always thank the doctors, nurses, paramedics and police officers for their rewarded efforts through this pandemic, but what about heroes who risk their lives every day to make Missouri safe for our citizens of this state? They do a tireless job that a large percentage of Missourians would not even think about doing - they deal with dangerous and uncooperative men and women and still face the danger of exposure to the virus during a confrontation with these individuals.

I used to be one, which, in my 33 years of service, there was hardly a "thank you" or "good job," but I made sure I told them when it was after a good job which could have going bad but they stuck in there and helped. That job is a correctional officer, who doesn't even get a "thank you" or "good job" from higher administrative personnel but does it anyway because that is what their job is. Their job is as dangerous as a police officer, if not more dangerous, and they don't have all the equipment that law enforcement officers do!

Sometimes, you have to use your wits to defuse the situation. Maybe this will get printed, we shall see.