The Answer is Obvious

Sometimes I find myself fixated on a piece of news. I currently have a number of feelings regarding a recent death of a Minnesota Conservation Officer. I’ve even found myself checking back for updated articles and then I realized the information I was looking for was right in front of me.

Here’s the details regarding the incident. Two DNR Conservation Officers were called out to a lake on April 19th to check out something floating in the water which someone thought could possibly have been a body. To my knowledge no one was missing in the area, there wasn’t an empty boat floating around in the lake and there was no reason to think there might actually be someone in the water.

The two Conservation Officers launched their boat and as they were pulling away from shore they were thrown into the water. Rescuers were able to reach one of the men but the other slipped beneath the water before rescuers could get to him. No one will comment on whether either were wearing their life jackets.  The body of the deceased man was recovered the next day.

Can you guess what my question is? It’s such an obvious answer I’m embarrassed. I wanted to know if they were wearing their life jackets. The answer is so insane I can’t comprehend it. My mind won’t let me believe two Conservation Officers would get into a boat just after ice out without wearing life jackets. The other man is out of the hospital now and obviously knows the answer to my question as do we all. Had either himself or his partner been wearing a life vest they would both be alive right now.

It’s a sad story about something that never should have happened.  Please wear your life jacket, it doesn’t work if you don’t wear it.