Hmmmmm......

Im sitting here at my computer not sure what to write about. It has been a few day's since I have written any posts.  Should I write about a experience I have had?  Maybe I could talk about my friends.  Im not really sure.  I know that there are four people on my mind all the time and I love them very much….

I have been here before....

  It was 3am and the portable radio next to my bed came to life for the seventh time this shift.  "Reported structural fire at the hazardous materials storage yard, west side units respond"  Waking up half way to the engine co.  I acknowledged the dispatch center " two-one copies, give me 2nd run structural, Tanker one-seven and a tanker from the east side.  Bunkered out and climbing into the cab of the engine co. I was confident, ahh fuck that I was cocky.  I had personally hand picked each member of my crew in who's hands I would be placing my life.

  My crew is the best I have seen in awhile. First there is my engineer SrA Ricky Yasutake aka "Bukaki" aka "Pretty Ricky" he can handle a rig like nobody's business.  Ricky can do the multiple Hydraulic calculations necessary to get me the water I need in 20 seconds. He looks like a octopus operating the pump hitting each switch with precision and opening each discharge effortlessly all while keeping track of the water coming into the rig and going out. Then we have my #1 hand lineman SrA Nick Crucet aka "lunchbox" aka " the Cuban refugee" he is built like a gorilla on steroids and can handle a fire hose with the skill of a $2 dollar whore sucking cock.  Last but not least is my #2 hand lineman SrA John Reinoehl aka "Rhino".  Rhino thinks on his feet and adapts to any situation quickly without second guessing himself.  When I look at John I see my cocky know it all self 10 years ago.

  Emergency lights blazing and air horn cutting through the morning silence I think to myself is this what I think this is?  Weeks prior we did pre-incident surveys and the Haz-mat storage yard was a mess. The chemicals and substances stored there were not cataloged and tracked like in the states.  We knew if we had a fire here it would be a battle.  We rounded the corner and a mile away I could see the flames penetrating the dark sky broken up by explosions.  Wind direction, temperature, humidity and a few hundred other factors were racing through my mind.  "Ricky get me up wind and prepare for two 1 3/4" lines with a deck gun".   "Nick your lead line, Rhino your back up and exposure protection"  Looking back at them slight nods from each told me they knew exactly what I wanted.  The sound of the air brake being engaged let me know Ricky was in the right spot.

  I jumped out of the cab with the weight of  75lbs of gear bearing down on me.  I hit the switch on my air mask, breathed deeply and headed towards the front of the truck where Nick had pulled our 150ft attack line off.  I looked nick in the eyes gave him a quick nod and he nodded back now it was time for fun.  I felt the 175psi of water start to fill the hose line and smiled.  The heat from the 1k plus degree fire hit me hard trying to find a way into my perfectly donned bunker gear.  We attacked the 50ft flames like NFL linebackers.  A explosion knocked Nick and I back about 5 or 6 feet. A split second after the explosion I felt the protective cover of the engine companies deck gun putting out 800 gallons per minute enclosing us in a cocoon "Thank you Ricky !"   Nick dug in and headed into the fire more determined than before. Rhino pushed his way up to us with the second attack line and we were a invincible team now.  We fought through the smoke and flames from the lead acid batteries, miscellaneous chemicals, and the wooden structure that was now on the ground for over thirty minutes.  That thirty minutes felt like a lifetime.  The heat had stolen every last ounce of energy from us.  The fire was now out and back up crews had arrived from the other side of the base.  We turned our hoses over to the fresh crews and headed back to the engine.  When I pulled my mask off the smell of lead acid and charred wood hung in the air. We sat on the tail board of the engine drinking water like it was our last drink.  The medics were taking our vital signs while other firefighters pealed off our gear.  We did not say a word, we just looked at each other and nodded.  We had won today's battle.

 

Jessica

I met Jessica yesterday.  She is a cute 22 year old girl from a small town in Texas.  I  only talked to her for a hour but feel like I've known her for much longer.  Jessica told me stories of the small town in Texas that is not even on the map.  I learned how she dropped out of college to join the ARMY.  I listened to the passion for her job as a vehicle supply troop.  I heard the hint of anger in her voice when she told me she has been in Iraq for 12 months. We teased each other.  She said so how do you like it in the Chair Force ? (Army's little nickname for us.) I called her a ground pounding bullet sponge. I will never forget that laugh.

  I held her hand troughout this conversation.  Jessica was hit by a Humvee and drug for 300 feet.  Her body was bloodied and broken.  I did the best I could to stop the bleeding and support her broken limbs with the Army medic on that long ambulance ride to the combat hospital.  When we backed up to the hospital emergency room Jessica was unconcious.   I do not know if she is alive or dead.  She did nothing to anybody.  Why am I here?

She told me a secret...

As we sat on that bench in Hawaii so many years ago she told me a secret.  I am not sure what it was about me that made her confide in me but she did.  She sometimes teases me about forgetting a birthday or event.  I remember more than she knows.  I remember the feel of her hand in mine, the feel of her soft skin with the tear running down her face, The warmth and security of her arms around me.  I can even remember the smell in the air that night when I close my eyes. 

  I was asked the question tonight if I remember when I fell in love with my wife?  My answer was which time.  I have fallen in love with her many times.  The first time I saw her,  When we sat on that bench,  When she gave birth to my daughters.  I am amazed that I am still learning her inside and out.  Each time I learn something new I fall in love with her even more than the last time.  She has taught me many things.  To love, patience, understanding to name a few.  She has even taught me lessons that I did not want to learn but looking back am thankful she did.  I really don’t know if this is makes any sense to you but it does to me.           

  I have so many thoughts running through my mind right now I don’t think 100 blogs could hold them all. She is such a intricate person that sometimes I feel so simple in comparison.  As I sit here feeling the pain in my leg from the iron beam that fell on me today it is minuscule compared to the feelings of love and friendship that are running though my body and soul.  Sometimes I don’t know how to express myself in the right way.  I think writing down exactly what is on my mind at that exact moment has been working well for me lately.  I wish I could hold her hand, touch her face with that tear running down it and feel the emotions of that night again.  I felt special like we were the only two in the world.  I love you Jonette.

Music to my ears...

   Ah yes power tools.  I didn’t know the difference between a table saw and a screw driver when Jo and I got married.  When we moved to Wyoming I slowly started to accumulate power tools and woodworking stuff.  I will admit at first most of the stuff I made ended up looking like it belonged in the Little Rascals club house. When Jo started playing WOW I began spending more and more time in the garage coming up with things to build and reasons to buy more tools.  It was relaxing for me.  I looked at my talented wife who can sing like nobody's business, play the guitar like a pro, and do a hundred other creative things.  Me all I knew was firefighting. I lived, breathed,  and was firefighting.  Once I started woodworking I found something I could do that I felt was mine.

   So over the years I have come to enjoy doing things with my hands (to the surprise of my wife I did not lose a hand or any fingers in a power tool accident)  To this day I love the feel of walking into the Home Depot and browsing the thousands of tools I probably don’t need.  The things that run through my mind are like a movie. I see the stacks of lumber and think man I could make some new shelves, a table, fix the wood trim in the living room. I know Jonette really does dread the calls from me while im at the hardware store begging her to let me  buy this saw or that sander.  She usually does give in to my requests ( or as she calls it whining).  So for all the "no baby it looks good", "Ok go get the stuff you want at the hardware store",  I thank you Jo.  You have let me pursue a hobby that has cost thousands of dollars.  While allowing me to do so you have let me enter that little world of mine where the saw dust fly's and the sound of the finish nailer is music to my ears.

  There is a reason I am making this post.  Here in Iraq we do not have the luxury of running down to the wal-mart to pick up lawn furniture or the put together computer desks.  When I arrived I was happy to see a tool room full of the stuff dreams are made of. Dewalt, craftsman and an variety of other very nice tools.  Along with these tools is the endless need for chairs, tables,and many other projects.  I have made a lot of really cool stuff in the few weeks I have been here. And yes to my amazement they have turned out very nice.  I even got a commanders coin from our squadron commander for making him a set of patio chairs.  So Jonette  for allowing me to be myself I say thank you.