After surviving five gunfights that should have killed him, decorated Lieutenant Randy Sutton faced his most devastating battle - against his own police department.

In Part 1, we heard Randy cheat death repeatedly during his legendary career. Part 2 reveals how a stroke on duty exposed the shocking truth about how police departments really treat their heroes. At 2:30 AM on the Las Vegas Strip, Randy's medical emergency should have been the moment his department rallied around their most decorated veteran. Instead, it became the moment they revealed their true nature.

"This isn't personal, it's just business," his sheriff told him while denying medical benefits. The department spent taxpayer money in court, hoping Randy would die before winning his legal battle. This betrayal wasn't unique - it was systemic. Wounded officers across America began reaching out to Randy, sharing identical stories of abandonment.

Randy's response transformed American law enforcement forever. From his hospital bed, he built Wounded Blue into the largest support network for injured officers in the nation. The organization now operates a 24/7 crisis hotline (833-TWB-TALK) and has helped over 15,000 abandoned officers reclaim their lives, careers, and dignity.

"They were hoping that I would die in the meantime. If you think that your own department wishes you would die, it's devastating." - Lt. Randy Sutton

Randy survived bullets meant to kill him, only to discover the real enemy was wearing the same uniform. His response proves that when departments abandon heroes, heroes create something better.

Get help: TheWoundedBlue.org | Support law enforcement: CitizensBehindtheBadge.org

• The reality of post-shooting trauma and "administrative leave"
• Randy's on-duty stroke at 2:30 AM on Las Vegas Strip
• Department's shocking response: "This isn't personal, it's just business"
• Legal battle where department hoped Randy would die
• How wounded officers found Randy through media visibility
• The birth of Wounded Blue and its mission
• 24/7 crisis hotline: 833-TWB-TALK
• Impact: 15,000+ officers helped nationwide

"They were hoping that I would die in the meantime. If you think that your own department wishes you would die, it's devastating." - Lt. Randy Sutton

• Wounded Blue: TheWoundedBlue.org
• 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 833-TWB-TALK
• Citizens Behind the Badge: CitizensBehindtheBadge.org
• National Law Enforcement Survival Summit: September 22-25

Contact Randy directly: randy@thewoundedblue.org

Previous Episode: Randy's survival of 5 officer-involved shootings and his decorated 34-year career.

Lieutenant Randy Sutton survived five officer-involved shootings during his 34-year career - a statistical impossibility that would change the trajectory of American law enforcement forever.

This decorated Las Vegas Metro Police veteran represents the 27% of officers who actually fire their weapon in the line of duty, but his story goes far beyond statistics. From leaving small-town Princeton for Vegas action to going gun barrel-to-gun barrel with an active shooter, Randy's career reads like fiction - except every bullet, every decision, every survival was devastatingly real.

His most harrowing gunfight reveals the brutal truth about police work: when his weapon jammed mid-battle and the suspect kept firing, Randy learned what it feels like to face death with nowhere to run. The aftermath required 43 rounds to stop one suspect - a reality that destroys Hollywood myths about "one shot stops."

• Randy's transition from small-town Princeton to Las Vegas Metro Police
• The statistical reality: only 27% of officers ever fire their weapon
• Gun barrel-to-gun barrel survival story with active shooter
• Why 43 rounds were needed to stop one suspect
• How today's anti-police climate would destroy yesterday's heroes
• The "journey of why" - Randy's belief he survived for a purpose

"If that happened today, and I'm screaming 'die, motherf***** die' as I'm pumping bullets into a guy, where am I gonna be? I'm gonna be crucified." - Lt. Randy Sutton

• Wounded Blue: TheWoundedBlue.org
• 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 833-TWB-TALK
• Citizens Behind the Badge: CitizensBehindtheBadge.org
• National Law Enforcement Survival Summit: September 22-25
• Contact Randy directly: randy@thewoundedblue.org

Next Episode: How Randy's own department abandoned him after a stroke, leading to the creation of Wounded Blue and help for 15,000 officers.

But here's what makes Randy's story prophetic: his justified actions that night, including words spoken in combat stress, would "crucify" any officer in today's anti-police climate. His survival story isn't just about the past - it's a warning about how far we've fallen in supporting those who protect us.

"If that happened today, and I'm screaming 'die, motherf***** die' as I'm pumping bullets into a guy, where am I gonna be? I'm gonna be crucified." - Lt. Randy Sutton

This is Part 1 of Randy's incredible journey. Part 2 reveals how his own department's betrayal led him to save 15,000 officers nationwide.

Support law enforcement at CitizensBehindtheBadge.org

Jan Scruggs didn't just build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – he saved the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and created a sacred space where we honor every police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice.

When Craig Floyd was struggling to build a memorial for fallen law enforcement officers, he turned to the one man who had successfully built a national memorial in Washington, D.C. Jan Scruggs, the Vietnam veteran behind the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial, became the first full-time employee of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and guided the project through bureaucratic obstacles that could have killed it.

In this powerful episode, Scruggs reveals how he convinced Floyd that building the memorial required full-time dedication, introduced him to the right architect, and helped secure a prestigious location. The result? A memorial featuring guardian lions that symbolizes police and community unity, where over 24,000 fallen officers' names are engraved forever.

• 6:35 - The lunch meeting that changed everything
• 16:22 - Why Jan chose to help law enforcement
• 18:21 - Fighting for the Ellipse location
• 20:35 - The importance of including officers' names
• 27:34 - Reflecting on the memorial's lasting impact

"If anybody was the right person for the job, this was for you," Scruggs told Floyd, recognizing the passion needed to honor fallen officers.

Today, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial stands as proof that when communities support their police, extraordinary things happen. Join hundreds of thousands of Americans supporting law enforcement at CitizensBehindtheBadge.org.

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