Robert Buitrago
Officer Down23 total reviews
Comment from Verna Cole Mitchell
This is an excellent tribute to a noteworthy marine. Your descriptions of his actions show him to be what being a marine means. I like how you saved the reason for the tribute to the end-and such a good reason to bring tribute! Good luck in the contest.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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This is an excellent tribute to a noteworthy marine. Your descriptions of his actions show him to be what being a marine means. I like how you saved the reason for the tribute to the end-and such a good reason to bring tribute! Good luck in the contest.
Comment Written 24-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thank you! I appreciate your great review!
Comment from Mintybee
This was a good biographical story, and a really good entry for the tribute contest. Thank you for sharing the story of your friend. It sounds like he was a real hero. I'm glad you were able to make this officer more than just a headline for the people who read this.
Mintybee
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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This was a good biographical story, and a really good entry for the tribute contest. Thank you for sharing the story of your friend. It sounds like he was a real hero. I'm glad you were able to make this officer more than just a headline for the people who read this.
Mintybee
Comment Written 24-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thank you, Mintybee. Sometimes the writing of the piece is more important than the contest aspect. I'm glad people are remembering Buitrago through this piece.
Comment from Tom Horonzy
I owe a lot to the U.S. of N and how they molded a whiny boy into what I am today. Discipline without harsh punishment had me understand how good making $214 a month to start was a fair wage. Semper Fi/
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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I owe a lot to the U.S. of N and how they molded a whiny boy into what I am today. Discipline without harsh punishment had me understand how good making $214 a month to start was a fair wage. Semper Fi/
Comment Written 24-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Yes, Sir!
Comment from Paul McFarland
A great tribute to one of America's finest. It saddens me every time I see an article where someone is killed by a person who should have been in prison. Our justice system needs an overhaul.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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A great tribute to one of America's finest. It saddens me every time I see an article where someone is killed by a person who should have been in prison. Our justice system needs an overhaul.
Comment Written 24-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Agreed, Paul!
Comment from SimianSavant
A truly compelling story with stunning detail. Great stories really do tell themselves, and this one didn't require any embellishment or fancy words to make the reader feel something.
Of course the action would go down inside a Food Lion. I remember grocery shopping there once to save money, buying a nice big loaf of raisin bread, and discovering that the entire thing was rotten.
This is well edited -- the only suggestion I would make is to perhaps rearrange some of the paragraphs a bit, to be slightly more concise -- e.g. "The felon who shot and killed Buitrago received a death sentence and is still sitting on death row" could go into another paragraph. They way you shift back and forth with different time periods is well suited to the way a film or script might tell it; in text, something slightly more linear might save on words and pack more emotional punch. Either way, it's still excellent as written. Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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A truly compelling story with stunning detail. Great stories really do tell themselves, and this one didn't require any embellishment or fancy words to make the reader feel something.
Of course the action would go down inside a Food Lion. I remember grocery shopping there once to save money, buying a nice big loaf of raisin bread, and discovering that the entire thing was rotten.
This is well edited -- the only suggestion I would make is to perhaps rearrange some of the paragraphs a bit, to be slightly more concise -- e.g. "The felon who shot and killed Buitrago received a death sentence and is still sitting on death row" could go into another paragraph. They way you shift back and forth with different time periods is well suited to the way a film or script might tell it; in text, something slightly more linear might save on words and pack more emotional punch. Either way, it's still excellent as written. Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 23-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thank you, Sir, for the great rating and the great suggestion. You are appreciated!
Comment from PoemsOfDD
This is a very touching tribute to a man that should be alive today - Roberto Buitrago - God rest his young soul. All the good ones get taking early - was a statement I heard when I was young. It has stuck in my head since and when I read stories like this it rings true.
There are many things wrong that this story points to - early release from prison, being out on bail, still alive waiting execution, a life lost and one that will never know what married life or the gratitude shared of a true friendship is like.
I am saddened by this story but know that Roberto was your cupid and three angels were born from his short, loyal and patriotic life.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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This is a very touching tribute to a man that should be alive today - Roberto Buitrago - God rest his young soul. All the good ones get taking early - was a statement I heard when I was young. It has stuck in my head since and when I read stories like this it rings true.
There are many things wrong that this story points to - early release from prison, being out on bail, still alive waiting execution, a life lost and one that will never know what married life or the gratitude shared of a true friendship is like.
I am saddened by this story but know that Roberto was your cupid and three angels were born from his short, loyal and patriotic life.
Comment Written 23-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thank you so much! Seems like such a waste.
Comment from Wayne Fowler
Great work. Nicely done.
I've often thought that parole officials should serve the 'forgiven' time along with those they vote to parole should there be subsequent victims. The main problem, not that I'm an expert, is that 1) we have too many in prison for victimless crimes. Those could be punished in other ways. And 2) we aren't willing to pay for more prisons allowing us to keep dangerous criminal secured for more of their sentences.
Thanks for writing your tribute to a fine soul.
Best wishes.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Great work. Nicely done.
I've often thought that parole officials should serve the 'forgiven' time along with those they vote to parole should there be subsequent victims. The main problem, not that I'm an expert, is that 1) we have too many in prison for victimless crimes. Those could be punished in other ways. And 2) we aren't willing to pay for more prisons allowing us to keep dangerous criminal secured for more of their sentences.
Thanks for writing your tribute to a fine soul.
Best wishes.
Comment Written 23-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thanks, Wayne! Your words are very kind!
Comment from Brandon Clark
This is a great way to remember your friend and share his story as well as your connection. It's too bad that parole boards and various aspects of our criminal justice system are so lopsided and inconsistent. Sometimes giving a nonviolent drug addict 20 or 30 years with no parole or parole opportunity after 3/4 of the sentence is served. Then to give an admitted hit man that killed 10 people -probably more- only 10 years because he rolled on others! Stupid and tragic. I don't remember the hitman's name(and is worth remembering) but he was interviewed in the documentary "White Boy Rick". So I didn't just invent that.
Very nice tribute to your friend and his impact on your life. My sincerest condolences to you,
Brandon
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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This is a great way to remember your friend and share his story as well as your connection. It's too bad that parole boards and various aspects of our criminal justice system are so lopsided and inconsistent. Sometimes giving a nonviolent drug addict 20 or 30 years with no parole or parole opportunity after 3/4 of the sentence is served. Then to give an admitted hit man that killed 10 people -probably more- only 10 years because he rolled on others! Stupid and tragic. I don't remember the hitman's name(and is worth remembering) but he was interviewed in the documentary "White Boy Rick". So I didn't just invent that.
Very nice tribute to your friend and his impact on your life. My sincerest condolences to you,
Brandon
Comment Written 22-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Yep. We are living in crazy times! Thank you, my friend!
Comment from Mary Shifman
This is a really said story. What a brave man your friend was. It is always a tragedy when a good man such as this is killed doing what he feels is his duty. I think he would be pleased with your touching tribute.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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This is a really said story. What a brave man your friend was. It is always a tragedy when a good man such as this is killed doing what he feels is his duty. I think he would be pleased with your touching tribute.
Comment Written 22-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thank you, my friend. That means alot!
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You are welcome.
Comment from jmdg1954
You wrote an excellent tribute to a soldier, a brother and a friend. You spoke highly of him throughout your post. Your three daughters have an honorary godfather looking out for them from above.
An excellent entry into the "Tribute" contest.
John
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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You wrote an excellent tribute to a soldier, a brother and a friend. You spoke highly of him throughout your post. Your three daughters have an honorary godfather looking out for them from above.
An excellent entry into the "Tribute" contest.
John
Comment Written 22-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2023
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Thank you, John! The fact that people are remembering Buitrago after all this time is the win for me!