What is A Fireman?

He is the guy next-door, A man's man with the memory of a little boy. He has never got over the excitement of engines and sirens and danger. He is a person like you and me with wants, worries and unfulfilled dreams. Yet he stands taller than most of us. He is a fireman. He puts it All on the line when the bell rings. A fireman's at once the most fortunate and least fortunate of men. He is a man who saves life because he has seen too much death. He is a gentle man because he has seen the awesome power of violence out of control. He responds to a child's laughter because his arms have held too many small bodies that will never laughter again. He is a man who appreciates the simple pleases of life like- hot coffee held in numb unbending fingers, a warm bed for bones and muscles completely beyon feeling. The camaraderie's of brave men- The divine peace and selfless to service a job well done in the name of all men. He doesn't wear buttons or waves flags or shout obscenities when he marches, it's to honor a fallen comrade. He doesn't preach the brotherhood of man. he lives it.