'This all has to stop': A retired police officer's message has struck a chord

Fox News - In a Facebook post that's been shared more than 300,000 times in a day, a retired Detroit police officer appealed for people to come together and "stop the nonsense" following the attack on Dallas police officers.

Merri McGregor, who served on the force for 17 years until 2014, posted a photo of herself from when she was 21 years old and about to head out for her very first shift.

She recalled: "I couldn't have been more excited, more proud. Armed with my dad's badge that he wore for 25 years on my chest, one of my mom's sergeant stripe patches in my pocket, my lucky $2.00 bill tucked into my bulletproof vest, a gun I was barely old enough to purchase bullets for on my hip and enough naive courage for a small army, I headed out the door. "

She then reflected on the 17 years of bloodshed, injuries and near-fatal encounters, along with the horrifying things she witnessed. McGregor said her service left her with PTSD, sleepless nights and forced her to miss Christmases with her family and parties with her friends.

"I know what a bullet sounds like when it's whizzing past your ear, a few inches away, I know what the sound of a Mother's shrilling scream is like when she finds out her son has been killed in the middle of the street and I know what it's like to have to tell a wife and mother of 3 that her husband was killed in a car accident while on his way home from work."

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