Proud Son!!

It's about 2 am on Friday, May 14th, 2010, I just finished a shift in the non-acute ED at LeBonheur, and in a few short hours my dad will walk out of the fire station for the last time as a member of the Nashville Fire Department, a department he has served for 34 years! Mom and I talked about what a bittersweet time this is for us a family because the fire department is more than just a job, it is a brotherhood. I basically grew up in a fire hall, climbing on the trucks, getting to blow the horn, going to work with dad and getting McDonalds on the ride into work. The job required other lifestyle changes for all of us: getting up on Christmas day at 4am to open presents before Dad had to go to work; missing him every 3rd night growing up as he would work 24 hour shifts; worrying at night knowing that he would be in the middle of any fire that may break out. Growing up, I always thought of what he did as simply a job, something he did to provide for us at home.

This past week, I realized just how much more firefighting was. Last Saturday, the guys on Dad's shift threw him a retirement party, and for the first time, really, I got to see and hear what Dad was like to those around him at work. I heard story after story of my dad's work ethic, of his ability to take control of a dangerous situation and save those who worked for him, of the respect he earned from his colleagues. I knew all of these things conceptually, but I had never heard them first hand. Man after man came up to me telling me of the caliber of man that my dad was, how much they enjoyed working for/with him, and told me how much they respected him. It was incredible to be there, to see this part of his life, and see how much he was respected and loved by his brothers.

So now, in a few hours, dad leaves one family to join another. When he walks out of the doors of that fire hall for the last time, no doubt he deserves an ovation, lines of people on either side wishing him the best. That is not how firefighters roll, however. In all likelihood, there will be no fanfare, there will be no streamers, no ticker tape. Probably the shift will change, new men will come to work ready to be called to every car wreck, to every 911 call for help, to help a city recover from the flood. He will walk to his car, drive home tired after another night on call. In a few short weeks, Dad will take over as the head chief of the Columbia, TN fire department.

He will carry all of his experiences from Nashville and lead Columbia with the same intensity and fire that has led him thus far. I am so proud of all that Dad has accomplished thus far, and all that he will attain in the future! Thank a firefighter today for all they do!