What in the world could Troopers Scott Swaterbury Squaterbury TACbury Waterbury and Cole Adams be pointing at in that closet?  Well, all we can tell you about this top secret, completely classified closet is that you’ll soon find out!  Maybe some of you already know.  It’s a lot of little boxes. This is so very top secret that we cannot even disclose the location of the boxes in the closet. Needless to say that it is under lock and key, so don’t even try to snoop around and find these boxes.   We’ll give you a clue.  Given the Mississippi State “Santa” hat that Cole is wearing would indicate that these boxes got here sometime in December before Christmas.  Still can’t guess?  They both look very excited about what’s in the boxes in the confidential closet.  Here’s another clue.  It is obvious by the sheer number of brown boxes in this closet which is at an undisclosed location that there are a lot of these “things” that Waterbury and Adams are tickeled about.  What’s that?  You still can’t guess the items that are in the boxes?  Well here’s your last clue.  The items that have been shipped in the brown boxes which are being held in this closet in a secure and secret location are not perishable.  If you still can’t figure it out, then you’ll have to wait a while.  Either until you are shown what’s in the little brown boxes that are housed in the top secret, completely classified closet, or you’ll read about it in the upcoming magazine!

The headline says it all!  Snow in Mississippi?  Hard to believe, but it’s true.  Thanks to Trooper Rusty Boyd down in Troop M, we now have the pictures to prove it.  Boyd had the daunting task of braving freezing temperatures, SNOW, and watching out for drivers who don’t quite know what to do when they see this stuff on our roadways.  Take a minute to really look at this photo that he submitted. The snow on the roadways behind our Trooper car is really spectacular! (Might use this for next year’s Christmas card!) Sadly, this snow got here a little too soon and melted before Christmas could get here.  Instead of planning the perfect Snowman or “strategizing” for the perfectly planning snowball fight, it looks like we’re gonna buckle down for stormy, windy weather.  As you are busy working the roads in Mississippi and you come up on something unusual or interesting, please send it to us so we can post it on our web site. We’re sad to report that Boyd COULD NOT be in the photo, because he was very busy braving the elements and ducking crazy drivers in order to daringly take this photo!  (Or was he?  You be the judge.)  Thanks Trooper Rusty Boyd for sending this photo - now Go Ahead! Here’s hoping that each and every one of you has a happy and safe holiday!

With the upcoming holiday season when you are visiting with family and friends, please take a moment to remember our men and women serving our country overseas.  If you look closely at the photo, you’ll spot one of our very own Mississippi Troopers.  We have a tremendous number of Troopers who serve in the military, and many of those same Troopers are in combat zones on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Join me in taking a few minutes to say THANK YOU to every member of the Mississippi Highway Patrol who serves in the armed forces, and a special shout-out to those serving overseas.  Take just a few minutes from your day to find out who in your district is overseas, and drop them an email, letter, photographs, and maybe a care package while they serve our country away from their family and friends.  We salute YOU, members of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, for the brave work you do here every single day, and for those Troopers and other members of the military who are protecting our country overseas in the military.

If you’ve never ever been to a convention of the Mississippi Retired State Troopers Association , then you are truly missing out on the spirit and history of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. One minute in the room with them and you can feel the energy, excitement, and camaraderie they share.  I can honestly say that it’s unfortunate that the convention is not more than about half a day.  Just to spend time listening to their stories of trooper school, days of working the road, and talking about troopers who were their role models and mentors is an amazingly rewarding experience. To represent these men and women in the magazine and on the web site is an honor. When you hear them reminisce about a heart-stopping story, you grab a pen and paper to begin to write the best story ever.  The dedication, work, and experience of these retired troopers forged the way for each and every active trooper today.  So here’s the challenge, if you are an active trooper, take a few minutes out of your busy week to call a retired trooper.  Get to know them, learn from their service, and just visit.  These relationships will be some of the most rewarding of your career. Lunch with a retired trooper? $14.98.  Calling to chat with a retired trooper? $3.12. Getting to know a retired state trooper who was once a “Red Leg” like you? Priceless!