LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- When it comes to policing, few are as mentally and physically tough as Mark Severance, a patrol sergeant in the New Smyrna Beach police force and a former Marine.
Severance can relate to the horror and grief felt by the Nebraska dad of the little boy killed by an alligator Tuesday night at a posh Disney resort near the water's edge. After all, today is Father's Day.
In Severance's case, the oldest of his two sons was born on Father's Day. And that same son's life was cut short, too, And though, Severance's persaonal hell occurred 28 years ago, it stays with him to this day.
And so Severance had no hesitation in sharing his thouughts on tragic cicumstances and how one ccomes to grips with them in the moment and longterm.
"When I learned of the incident where the alligator took the boy, my heart sank because I, too, know the pain of such a loss," Severance said. "In 1988, I lost my 22 \-month-old son in a tragic car accident. It's unimaginable the feeling or loss and helplessness this family from Nebraska is experiencing. My heart goes out to them. There are no words to console -- just the love and support of community, family and friends. May God give them His peace and understanding."
"When I learned of the incident where the alligator took the boy, my heart sank because I, too, know the pain of such a loss," Severance said. "In 1988, I lost my 22 \-month-old son in a tragic car accident. It's unimaginable the feeling or loss and helplessness this family from Nebraska is experiencing. My heart goes out to them. There are no words to console -- just the love and support of community, family and friends. May God give them His peace and understanding."
