I am 51 years old that I've spent 20 years in the United States Army as a military police

officer.

I retired in 2012 from the Army and transitioned into a Department of Defense, civilian law

enforcement job.

I'm trained in observing my surroundings and noting details at a glimpse.

I live in Kansas, south of a military post in a rural agriculture area, with rolling

limestone hills and lots of trees and native grasslands.

When I say small, I mean if you counted all the stray cats and dogs together with the

human population, you might count 150 in total.

My friend and I were heading back on this rural county two-lane road which was skirted

on both sides about trees, limestone hills, upward of 30 feet straight up.

My friend was looking down at her cell phone and I was listening to music thinking about

the possibility of having a deer or a black angus calf jump out onto the road.

We weren't talking, we were just cruising home down this dark county road, and then

it happened.

I was coming around a curve to the right and then in my headlights I saw it.

Now I say it because for the first time in years I was at a total loss for recognizing

what I was approaching.

I could see this was not a deer or a bovine, I didn't know what it was.

My mind was racing through the roller decks of images I had seen in my life and I was

coming up with a big fat zero.

Not even realizing that I had said anything out loud, my friend said without looking

...