Our fathers are truly great !! Even though my Dad has never been involved in any emergency services he's always been there for me no matter what the issue. He sets the example as being a hard worker (still works full-time) , dependable provider and tells it like it is. No sugar coating anything with him , which is exactly how I like him. The way I see things regarding our parents is that we owe them everything and they owe us nothing.
I was fortunate to have 4 relatives that were firemen, 2 Uncles & 2 Cousins. 2 Uncles and 1 Cousin were members of the Colonia Volunteer Fire Dept. in Woodbridge Township NJ. When I was a wee little fella my 2 Uncles (Frank & John) had me at the firehouse anytime I wanted. To this day, some of the "older" members remember me when I was 4 or 5 years old and hanging around.
Cousin Al was a retired Deputy Chief with the Elizabeth NJ Fire Dept. Back in the 70's when he was a Captain he would regularly take me to the firehouse on his days off so I can look at the rigs, check out the old firehouses in the City and meet some of the other firemen. After I had been on the job in Va. beach for about 2 years I had the privilege to ride and fight fire with Rescue 1 in Elizabeth on numerous occassions, at times when Al was on duty as a Deputy Chief.
Uncle Frank, John and Cousin Al have been gone for awhile but, their memories will last until my final day.
The time they spent with me had an everlasting affect and guided me to the best job in the world !!!
