COMMENTARY: Every summer is fire season in the New Mexico Mountains. While some fire seasons are worse than others, they are all bad. This year many wild fires have already started. Hundreds of firefighters, both professional and volunteer, have been battling these wild fires.
Courtesy photo
Michael Swickard
Also, in rural New Mexico people get injured or ill. Emergency medical people come long distances to help. We drive by those ambulances without thinking about the drama that plays out inside them every week, or the emergency workers who are there to help us.
Last week young people saw the smoke and the coverage of the fires on media. These young people could say, “Last week we didn’t do anything special.” Or they could say something different if they had been trained as a firefighter or emergency medical technician.
Then they could say, “Last week I and hundreds of fellow firefighters fought the fires around Capitan or Tatum or Grants, New Mexico. We were all that was between them and the forests and towns.”
Also, there were emergency medical personnel who responded to accidents and medical events. They could say, “It was touch and go when we arrived but we got the patient stabilized and to the hospital in time. That person will recover and be home soon.”
When these firefighters and EMTs walk into their town cafe or store an interesting thing happens. Community members will nod to them. It is a nod of honor. There is no higher honor than their fellow citizens showing respect and gratitude with that nod of honor.
This last week, Marine and movie actor R. Lee Ermey passed at age 74. He was quoted as saying, “It’s been a pretty fun ride, to tell you the truth.” It was for him because duty and honor were his action words. Later in life he was able to look back proudly at doing his duty.
It is the same with our first responders who, later in life, can also look back proudly to the times they did their duty. I know firefighters from 40 years ago who still get that nod of honor.
Former President James Monroe wrote: National honor is the national property of the highest value. There is also local community honor. I see this with firefighters, emergency medical personnel along with military, law-enforcement and former members of those professions. They are treated with honor for protecting our community and country.
Being the person who does honorable things does not happen by accident. Those wanting to be a firefighter or emergency medical worker must get training and certification. Then they will be able to do something important that will honor them for the rest of their lives.
If you would like to become a firefighter or an EMT, get into a first responder program. There are many in our state. Email me: drswickard@comcast.net. I will point you to programs and colleges where you can get the training and certification to work and earn that nod of honor.
Michael Swickard is a former radio talk show host and has been a columnist for 30 years in a number of New Mexico newspapers. Swickard’s novel, Hideaway Hills, is now available at Amazon.com. Agree with his opinion? Disagree? We welcome your views. Learn about submitting your own commentary here.