WHAT IS A FIREMAN?
He’s the guy next door - a man’s
man with the memory of a little boy. He has never gotten over
the excitement of engines and sirens and danger. He’s a guy
like you and me with warts and worries and unfulfilled dreams.
Yet he stands taller than most of us.
He’s a fireman. He puts it all on the line when the bell
rings. A fireman is at once the most fortunate and the least fortunate
of men. He’s a man who saves lives because he has seen too
much death. He’s a gentle man because he has seen the awesome
power of violence out of control.
He’s responsive to a child’s
laughter because his arms have held too many small bodies that
will never laugh again. He’s a man who appreciates the simple
pleasures of life - hot coffee held in numb, unbending fingers
- a warm bed for bone and muscle compelled beyond feeling - the
camaraderie of brave men - the divine peace and selfless service
of a job well done in the name of all men.
He doesn’t wear buttons or wave
flags or shout obscenities. When he marches, it is to honor a
fallen comrade. He doesn’t preach the brotherhood of man.
He lives it.