Volunteers Of America

Several thousand words' worth.

I can't even.

Four citizens sat outside a Bellevue recruitment center on Wednesday, joining a national movement to guard military recruiters following a deadly rampage in Tennessee. Three men and one woman stationed themselves outside the Armed Forces Career Center near 140th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 20th Street in Bellevue for most of the day Navy veteran Don Dinsmore's son is a Marine recruiter at the Bellevue office. "They can't be armed, but I can," Dinsmore said. Dillon, who didn't give his last name, signed up for the Marines at this very office. He sat outside the center with his dog Zeus. "I shopped for boot camp on August 22, 2011," he said. He was badly injured in training and never served overseas, but knew many who did. "I failed my brothers. I didn't get to deploy. I didn't get to protect them in Afghanistan," Dillon said. "I'm going to do my best to protect my brothers at home. I can't patrol or anything, but in my chair I can at least sit here and watch over them." Not everyone outside the center was a veteran or a man. Shannon Tahja also sat in front of the office. "I'm intensely American. All my friends are military. A lot of my friends are military and I stand with them," she said. A couple walked by the group sitting outside the center and thanked them for protecting the servicemen and women inside. "It makes me feel like there may be hope for this country after all," said the man. Around the country, individuals have stood guard outside recruitment centers to protect those inside. People have been reported sitting outside centers in Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleburne, Texas; Howell, Michigan; Monroe, North Carolina; Longview, Texas; and Gallatin, Tennessee -- to name a few. The same has also happened in other locations in Washington state. On Tuesday, armed men were reportedly stationed outside an Army recruiting office in Spanaway, Washington. The two citizens took personal days from work to stand guard with their AR-15 rifles. Another man reportedly sat in front of a recruiting station in Silverdale, Washington, Tuesday. An Army recruiting spokesman said his branch would rather civilians stay alert and call in any suspicious activity instead of bringing weapon. But the military isn't taking steps to remove them as long as the guns stay outside. At the same time, some governors are calling for soldiers at recruitment centers to be armed. Following the shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which left five servicemen dead, some governors called for the arming of recruiters in their states. That included Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. On Tuesday, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin issued an executive order allowing National Guard personnel to carry firearms on duty. In Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to increase patrol around military recruitment centers. Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms in designated Federal buildings.