With all the protests I have been following in the news, I thought I would take the time to let people know what really happens during an armed conflict.

I, myself, have seen combat tours and have been in some tough places where people get killed on almost a minute-by-minute basis. Here are some facts that the protesters do not have in their computers.

How fast is 1/100th of a second?

It’s about the time it takes for a camera to take a picture. It’s about the time it takes a hummingbird to beat its wings once. It’s about the time it takes for a bee to beat its wings once. For athletes, it is the difference between winning and loosing. For military and law enforcement, it is the difference between life and death.

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) have that long to stop a shooting in progress before someone else gets hurt. LEOs try to keep the body count down to a number that is the absolute minimum for a situation.

Members of the military have that long to identify a threat to their well being and remove the threat.

It takes you longer than that to decide where to go to get breakfast or lunch or supper.

Most non-life-threating decisions take place in the range of half of a second to 5 minutes. LEOs make life choices in 1/100th of a second. Then they have to file a report, go on administrative leave and get on with their life. It takes a protester longer to complain about the situation then it takes to resolve it.

If people want to protest against the LEOs and military then go ahead and do so. You have the freedom of speech.

Just remember you may be on the other side of that 1/100th of a second decision process.

Talk to a police department or a good shooting range official. They will be willing to take you through the process that you as a citizen take for granted. Sure, there will be shootings.

The cops or military may even be wrong, but in 1/100th of a second they made a choice.

Did you?

— Philip Schneider

Salisbury