Thursday, December 23, 2010

"Mayday"...God bless the protectors

Tonight's post is a somber one. I woke up to a screaming headline "2 Firefighters killed, 12 injured". That headline turned to 17 injured by mid-day. By evening; it had turned to names: Firefighters Corey Ankum and Edward Stringer were killed when the roof of a warehouse they were battling fire in, collapsed at around 7am this morning. On this; the 100th anniversary of the worst firefighter casualties in the country's history, the day 9/11 workers were given health benefits.

Its the kind of news that makes you cry for people you don't know. Its the same feeling I had when Chicago Police Officer Michael Flisk and former Chicago Housing Authority officer Stephen Peters were shot to death the day after Thanksgiving. People, all these people, these sworn officers, these public servants who put their lives on the line daily to protect those of us that they don't know, as much as we don't know them.

I do not envy firefighter or police officer spouses. I cannot imagine kissing your spouse goodbye, with the knowledge, no matter how you push it down that they might not come back. Its a paralyzing thought to me. But these families do it every day, with nothing in return. No accolades, not millions of dollars, seldom more than a salute by others similarly situated.

They; like our country's soldiers, are our soldiers on domestic soil. They put their lives on their lines sun-up to sun-down unselfishly. Firefighters Stringer and Ankum were trying to make sure the abandoned warehouse did not have undetected vagrants in danger in the midst of the blaze. For their lifesaving efforts, they lost their lives.

The risk they took today, is the risk all police, firefighers, EMTs, and military take daily for US. They sacrifice their families, their security, their LIVES.

So as we head into this holiday stretch; please remember the families of those who have sacrificed for the greater good as this will be a painful season for them--and send up a prayer today for Firefighters Ankum and Stringer. May God bless them.


Toodles


ReaLM


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