Tough days but the Brotherhood lives …

Geesh … today … well today has been tough. I spent most of my evening at the Funeral Home last night. The wife of a now retired Captain from our Department recently passed away unexpectedly. It’s complicated. The Captain is a long time and close family friend. So close, that I really shouldn’t use the word “friend” … he is family.

Mike is a lot like me … or I guess I should say that I’m a lot like him. He’s one of those guys in the Department that is either loved or hated and never understood. The KING of fretting and never afraid to speak his mind or stand his ground. He confided in me last night that he wasn’t sure if there would be a FD turn out at all…. man was he shocked! The place was packed with friends and family wanting to pay their respects and a good many were Fire Department members.

Non-members questioned and commented on the FD presence …. we made an impression. Most importantly, it made an impression on Mike. Later, when we spoke about it, he became emotional .. it meant THAT much to him.  He told me today that he wants to write a “Thank You” type of note for me to post here for all the Brothers and Sisters who showed their support. I asked if he wanted me to write something up  and he said NO .. he wanted it to come from him. I’ll get it up as soon as he is able to get it written. That said, I wanted to add my THANKS as well.

Morale is low around here … the pay sucks, work is picking up and we are faced every day with having to do more with less. The good news is that we have each other! To see the emotion in Mike’s eyes … to hear it in his voice … I WAS PROUD TO BE ON THE JOB WITH YOU GUYS! It’s been asked in recent times.. “where has the brotherhood gone? ” and I can tell ya that it’s not dead… it’s RIGHT HERE!  I seen it last night, today at the funeral and later this evening with a 2nd issue we’ve been dealing with…

I posted the other night about Retired Chief Bobby Slayton being in the hospital. I’m saddened to report that his condition has worsened. The family is not taking calls nor are they able to accept visitors right now. Pop and I are in constant contact, we are up to date on his condition and the family needs. Most of you local folks have my cell but if not, use the “contact” tab at the top of the page and I’ll get my number to ya. Just like with Mike and his situation, the concern and support from the “brotherhood” has been tremendous. Again, I am honored and proud. I’m not going to go into further detail tonight but will ask that you keep Chief Bobby and his family in your thoughts and prayers. I stole this older pic of Bobby from Rhett’s site … Thought you’d enjoy it.

I’m gonna stop here tonight. I’m emotionally drained. I’ll try to update on Bobby’s condition a couple times tomorrow (or as often as there is news to pass). Please take the time to “share” this post on “picture book” or “tweet” it on “churp churp” to get the word out here locally.

As always, thanks for reading … stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines