Deployed to New Orleans
Posted: September 7th, 2005, 1:08 am
I just got a really creepy email.
My brother Tim (that's "tfire" to you) is probably getting sent to New Orleans by his military fire department within the next three days. He isn't a soldier. He's a civilian firefighter, but as a civilian firefighter on a military airbase, going where they send him at a moment's notice is part of his job.
If he's told to go, he'll go. He'll probably go gladly because he's one of those unusual people who like to be right where they can help the most. He'll be in his element. He'll learn a lot. He'll probably be a hero in lots of big and little ways, because that's just HIM.
But .... I'm a bit scared. There's rioting and looting going on there. Rescuers are getting shot at. It's, uhhh, just about under martial law right now, correct?
Part of me wants him to go, because I know this is his calling. He's had plenty of exposure to crisis situations in the past, and he handles them well.
On the other hand, this is my little brother. I held him in my arms on the car ride home from the hospital when he was four days old. I watched him playing with plastic toy soldiers and fire trucks while I was reading poetry and dreaming of boys.
Just some weird thoughts.
Had to post them, so I decided to post them here.
He's going, I think. I can't stop him, and I wouldn't stop him if I could. But I'm worried.
My brother Tim (that's "tfire" to you) is probably getting sent to New Orleans by his military fire department within the next three days. He isn't a soldier. He's a civilian firefighter, but as a civilian firefighter on a military airbase, going where they send him at a moment's notice is part of his job.
If he's told to go, he'll go. He'll probably go gladly because he's one of those unusual people who like to be right where they can help the most. He'll be in his element. He'll learn a lot. He'll probably be a hero in lots of big and little ways, because that's just HIM.
But .... I'm a bit scared. There's rioting and looting going on there. Rescuers are getting shot at. It's, uhhh, just about under martial law right now, correct?
Part of me wants him to go, because I know this is his calling. He's had plenty of exposure to crisis situations in the past, and he handles them well.
On the other hand, this is my little brother. I held him in my arms on the car ride home from the hospital when he was four days old. I watched him playing with plastic toy soldiers and fire trucks while I was reading poetry and dreaming of boys.
Just some weird thoughts.
Had to post them, so I decided to post them here.
He's going, I think. I can't stop him, and I wouldn't stop him if I could. But I'm worried.