Beach Patrol Guards Do Great Work

To the Editor:
Cape May is a tiny island and admittedly when one of its finest sons makes a serious mishap, it’s a juicy story and thus I can partially understand the motivation behind writing and printing a report about the arrest of a long-time beach patrol member, who up to this time, had a stellar record. Unfortunately, many of us have a tendency to be fascinated by those who one minute seem so perfect and the next minute fall tragically into the all too human way of going astray. My issue with the article that was printed in the Herald is the inference that this incident is somehow indicative of the behavior of all Cape May Beach Patrol guards who routinely float around town.
Why are articles regarding the fabulous work the patrol does on a daily basis throughout the summer so few and far between? Why not scour the Facebook page of those guards, who, when not protecting our beautiful beaches and the thousands of tourists and regulars who are there each day, are busy studying for their masters degrees in psychology or education or starting med school or working their way through law school? There are those who are full time teachers and counselors working hard here through the summer for many years or how about those who have gone on to become local firefighters, police, state troopers, EMTs, and business owners and are raising their families and contributing the community right here in our town?
Consider where Cape May and all our resort towns would be without the dedicated services of Beach Patrol. I am sure in many ways it’s a great job, but it is not necessarily an easy one. Most guards are up at the crack of dawn each day to work out so that they are ready to put their beaches and the safety of the swimmers on them above even their own safety. They spend countless hours in the hot sun or stormy weather or the rough surf to keep an eagle eye out to the sea to protect us all for very little pay. Yes, some will make mistakes, but lets not only focus on the negative, lets not forget the whole are the best of the best of us all and we should be thankful for them everyday each and every summer.