Favorite saying

• "John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.-General George S. Patton Jr. “So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.” ~ Chief Tecumseh (Poem from Act of Valor the Movie) "Inspire envy" -MMA (Matt Miles-1st Co. Commander) "If your going through hell, keep going." -Winston Churchill "You either heal as a team, or die as individuals." -Al Pacino "Always keep in mind that [your] countrymen are freemen, and, as such, are impatient of everything that bears the the least mark of a domineering spirit....Endeavor to overcome difficulties by a cool and temperate perseverance in [your] duty-by [skill] and moderation, rather than by vehemence or violence." -Alexander Hamilton, in a letter of advice to members of the newly created Revenue-Marine, 4 July 1791 All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy, Hope. -Winston Churchill "The only way your honor and integrity can be lost is if you give them away. They can never be taken from you." -Col. (Ret.) T. Dilliplane US Army All men are created equal, then a few become firemen. A Fireman's Life A fireman's life is one big surprise, Usually he laughs, sometimes he cries. There's always stress, toil and strife, Hoping he's good enough to save just one life. His wife understands, when he misses dinner, If he runs out of church, don't think he's a sinner. Answering a call, is tops on his list, Regretting each one he's ever missed. He tries and tries, but can't make us see, The happiest men, still work for free. Jumping from bed, fighting the cold, Knowing what to do, without being told. He rushes to the station, jumps on a truck. Depending on skill, never on luck. Putting his life on the line, for an unknown friend, Hoping and praying, it won't be the end. "The Bravest Men in the World", the title is fitting, They all do their best, never come close to quitting. Next time you see them, all their lights blinking, Take just a minute, to think what they're thinking. It's a hard job, so show them you care, And help them out, with a little prayer. -- Daniel S. Driscoll. -- A Firefighter's Pledge I promise concern for others. A willingness to help all those in need. Promise courage - courage to face and conquer my fears. Courage to share and endure the ordeal of those who need me. I promise strength - strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed upon me. Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care. I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort, and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called. The Last Alarm My father was a fireman, he drove a big red truck And when he'd go to work each day he'd say "Mother, wish me luck" Then dad would not come home again until sometime the next day But the thing that bothered me the most was the things some folks would say A fireman's life is easy, he eats and sleeps and plays, and sometimes he won't fight a fire for many, many days When I first heard these words I was young to understand But I knew when people had trouble Dad was there to lend a hand Then my father went to work one day and kissed us all goodbye but little did we realize that night we all would cry My father lost his life that night when the floor gave way below And I wondered why he'd risked his life for someone he did not know But now I truly realize the greatest gift a man can give is to lay his life upon the line so that someone else might live so as we go from day to day and pray to God above Say a prayer for your local fireman He may save the ones you love Just Doing My Job As I search though the smoke and flames my bell on my air pack goes off I have five minutes left to search for the 2 year old boy i was sent in to get. I search and search through the endless room When suddenly i hear a little voice weeping in the closet. I head toward the closet calling for my fellow firefighter to come and help. I open the door and find a little boy sitting in there holding a teddy bear. I take off my mask and give him the air that I have left And I put him under my arm and follow the hose back to a window Where I smash out a window to get help. The ladder truck swings it ladder toward me. I finally get to the ground where I am asked if I am a hero. I say no...just doing my job sir. Then I run back to help fight the fire. Author: Shane LaFord Into the Fire The sky was falling and streaked with blood I heard you calling me then you disappeared into the dust Up the stairs, into the fire I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire May your strength give us strength May your faith give us faith May your hope give us hope May your love give us love You gave your love to see in fields of red and autumn brown You gave your love to me and lay your young body down Up the stairs, into the fire I need you near, but love and duty called you someplace higher Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire May your strength give us strength May your faith give us faith May your hope give us hope May your love give us love It was dark, too dark to see, you held me in the light you gave You lay your hand on me Then walked into the darkness of your smoky grave Up the stairs, into the fire I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire A song by Bruce Springsteen from the album "The Rising" Fallen Rest now my fallen brother Lay soft your suffering back Rest well and forever Your memory shall not lack Rest your tired hands Wipe clean your weary brow Rest with St. Florian Your spirit now endowed Rest here your breaking heart We know you gave your all Rest easy, you’ve done your part You’ve answered your last call Rest knowing that in god we sought Oh lord, watch over another who just fell Rest assured your troubled thought As we ring the final bell. Submitted by R. Hoffman, SSgt. USAF/MOANG, Firefighter, Rosecrans Airport, St. Joseph, Missouri A Mother's Prayer The alarm goes off, ready to go, all with no hesitation Time to save a soul or a home, straight to that destination This prayer’s for my son, as that fire calls Protecting the innocent and fighting flaming walls Guide him with your strength, the courage to pull him through Give him that breath of air, if he gets down to his last few By chance he may get weak; do give him the will to stand Carry him as you said, your” Foot Prints in the Sand” He will have to lift or ax a door today May your angels chip away, helping along the way There’s always the unknown, of what they call "back draft" Secure your arms around him, and the others who have his back Make way for him to listen, to hear that persons call If he gets blinded, give him sight, direct him down that hall Determined to break a window, to rescue that angry dog Or fight the wild fires, to keep lands beauty how it belongs Keep their team in motion, to know where one is at They’re taking turns in and out, of these fires that attack When that duty’s done, he’ll have peace of mind You were right beside him; he now thanks you for your time Lord I ask this of you, I pray you watch over him Help him always save the lives, then return him to me again. Carolyn Kay Carr When Brave Men Cry Into the bowels of Hell,these brave ones go To save the lives of those they do not know Guided by training & Camaraderie while overcoming fear They dare to go with only Guardian Angels near Through the smoke and heat and gasses too They fight their fears when looking for you A life to save is their primary task Think of them with kindness is all they ask The Cross of Malta is their chosen crest Love of another is the required test First to respond when all spells gloom They won't quit though it could be their own doom These Fire Fighters have seen so much Burned and broken bodies, death, destruction and such They go back for more each and every day Because it's the lives they save that makes them stay All for one and one for all You go - I go that is their call And in their quest, when some do fall The rest stand strong - still giving their all The loss of a family member does take it's toll Cuts to the quick, down deep in your soul Heroes forever, when they die And that is when "BRAVE MEN CRY" Thomas L Hart, Chaplain Cut-N-Shoot Volunteer Fire Department Retired Detroit Fire Fighter (Duty Disability) The 343 Ask any firefighter, and he will say And the Brothers all agree; We know that day, and it won't go away, When we lost our 343. Where were you when the Towers came down, The cry will be heard through the years; Where were you when the Twin Towers fell, And we realized our worst fears. The old man asked of the young boy he met, The lad looked up and answered politely, "My daddy's a fireman, and he died that day, But I still say a prayer for him nightly." The old man moved on, and he found a young girl, And he asked the same question of her, She answered so slow,"I don't think I know, For you see, I wasn't born yet sir." But ask any firefighter, and he will know, The day, the time, and the year; For those of us who fight smoke and fire And have no time for fear. We know that day, and it won't go away, When we lost our 343. So when you see a firetruck speeding by, Manned by the men who fight the fight, Or you hear a wailing siren, in the middle of the night, It seems so far away, on some lonely thoroughfare, Pause for just a moment, and think a silent prayer... William Mackle FDNY Retired A Firefighter's Tears The alarm rang, as it had so many times before. He was the first of the firefighters up and out, Awakened from his bed at the station By the clanging of the bell. Engine 12 pulled out of the hall, Dispatch paged another station. And all the firemen aboard the truck Were tensed with anticipation " It's gonna be a nice 'un, boys," He said as he donned his gear. And the young bucks smiled at him As they drew ever near. They turned onto his own street And he could see the fire's work He hoped their mother woke his kids To see their dad at work. His heart sank as he saw the home That he so dearly loved Going up in Smoke and Flames As he donned his gloves. Aggressively he hit the fire And searched the rooms above. And with a flare of personal vengeance He saved what remained of his home. As he left the world of flaming hell He saw his little girl He ran quickly to her side and said, "Honey, Daddy's here." He would never forget what next she said: As he held her close, "I love you, Daddy," she whimpered, And he began to weep. She died in his arms that night... The others, later on.... His comrades gave him their respects but his Family was gone. He sits alone at the station, now, There's no more spring in his step. He stays detached from his fellows to avoid once again being hurt. He risks it all in fires, now, No more concerns for his safety. He has taken a solemn vow. He won't let it happen to another, as long as he's around. I Wish You Could I wish you could see the sadness of a business-man as his livelihood goes up in flames, or that family returning home, only to find their house and belongings damaged or destroyed. I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen beneath you burns. I wish you could comprehend a wife’s horror at 3 a.m. as I check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively that it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done. I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke ~ sensations that I have become too familiar with. I wish you could understand how it feels to go to work in the morning after having spent most of the night, hot and soaking wet at a multiple alarm fire. I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire. “Is this a false alarm or a working, breathing fire? How is the building constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped? Or to an EMS call, “What is wrong with the patient?” Is it minor or life threatening? Is the caller really in distress or is he or she waiting for us with a 2x4 or a gun? I wish you could be in the emergency room as a doctor pronounces dead the beautiful five-year-old girl that I tried to save during the past 25 minutes. Who will never go on her first date or say the words “I love you, Mommy” again. I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab engine, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to yield the right of way at an intersection or in traffic. When you need us, however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, “It took you forever to get here!” I wish you could know my thoughts a s I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the mangled remains of her automobile. “What if this was my sister, my girlfriend, or a friend? What were her parents’ reaction going to be when they opened the door to find a police officer with hat in hand? I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call I was on. I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally and sometime physically, abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes or “It will never happen to me.” I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life, or preserving someone’s property, of being there in time of crisis, or creating order from total chaos. I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging at your arm and asking. "Is Mommy okay?" Not even being able to look in his eyes without tears from your own and not knowing what to say. Or to hold back a long-time friend who watches his buddy having rescue breathing done on him as they take him away in the ambulance. You know all along he did not have his seat belt on ~ Sensations I am too familiar with. Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will probably never truly understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job really means to us ……I WISH YOU COULD. "Firefighters" Not many people remember us, Not many people care. Unless a life is saved or lost, While we are fighting there. We learn to respect the fire we fight, And even love it too. In order to end it's destructive path, It's what we train to do. There are many who cannot comprehend, Why we love the things they fear. We're the first they call in their time of need, It's the reason that we're here. The next alarm might make us proud, And heroes of some kind, Or maybe it will be our last, In service to mankind. But whatever fate may bring us, It doesn't change our hearts. We're Firefighters to the end, We'll always do our part. -Author unknown I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone, from the beginning…to the end. He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash… would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent YOUR dash? "The Dash" Linda Ellis From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother -Shakespeare (Henry V) "We acquire the strength we have overcome" -Ralph Waldo Emerson "A mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one" -Thomas Carlyle "Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence and determination will win. Let not the man be discouraged who has these." -James Whitcomb Riley "I love the name of honor, more than I fear death." -Julius Caesar "We gain strength, and courage and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot." -Eleanor Roosevelt "Heroism is not only in the man but in the occasion." -Calvin Coolidge "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." -Mahatma Ghandi "You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. " Aristotle "An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men." -Thomas Fuller "He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against his enemy." -Socrates "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear." -Mark Twain "The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet understanding, go out to meet." -Thucydides "There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism." -Alexander Hamilton "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill "Farewell, my friendly books; Farewell, ye woods and streams; The Fate that calls me forward looks To a duty beyond dreams." Henry van Dyke The character of the ruler is like the wind, the people like the grass. In whatever direction the wind blows, the grass bends. -Confucius Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what your really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. -John Wood Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. -Helen Keller The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back. Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby) The test of character is not "hanging in there" when you expect a light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty and persistence of example when you know that no light is coming. -VADM James B. Stockdale "Man In The Arena" "It is not the critic that counts: not the man who points out how a strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumphant of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be, with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt "Citizen in a Republic" "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" - Isaiah 6:8 "No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." -President Calvin Coolidge"