Police shootings touch nerve among military veterans

SAN DIEGO — Back-to-back attacks on police in Texas and Louisiana by former military men have touched a nerve among veterans who traditionally share a close bond with law enforcement.

Veterans and active-duty troops started posting messages on social media almost immediately after the news broke last weekend that a masked ex-Marine had ambushed law enforcement along a busy highway, killing three officers — including a fellow former Marine.

The ex-Marine that opened fire on officers is everything we swear to protect our Nation from, Marine Cpl.

Many veterans fear the service records of the gunmen will feed a false perception that combat veterans are volatile and violent, turning back years of efforts to change such stereotypes.

The Baton Rouge shooting came less than two weeks after five Dallas police officers were killed in an ambush by an Army Reserve veteran who had served in Afghanistan.

“Seeing the gunman in Baton Rouge brought a certain stinging embarrassment to something I hold very dear, being a United States Marine,” said former Marine Staff Sgt. Chad Robichaux, who also worked as a law enforcement deputy for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, about an hour’s drive from Baton Rouge.