Hero

Rubber boots, coat, gloves and a triangular hat
Equipment worn by heroes to me and my buddy Pat
Off to work they went, day in and day out
To save some property, lives, or just to put the fire out

Down the streets they rode on their bright red trucks, sirens screaming loud
Pat and I standing on the corner, waving to our dads, feeling really proud
They're off to fight a roaring fire, or pull someone from its clutch
Or give life back to an empty body, with that caring skillful touch

Tough, strong and solid, giving it all and doing what no one else would
But still having some left for their family, giving the type of love they only could
Providing enough love and care, to go all the way around
A special quality that is scarce, not easily found

Heroes, knights in shining armor, never thinking twice
About the dangers lying ahead, about making the ultimate sacrifice
Doing it not for money, thanks, nor a medal to be pinned on by the mayor
But because of professionalism, comradeship, commitment, and just because they care

"It's romantic, brave and cool!" are the thoughts that I once had
Many years ago, when I was just but a lad
Well I'm older now, and on calls for help I now go
But it was my dad, not my training, that has taught me what I really needed to know

There was know way to know back then, what was going on behind his strong eyes
What it takes to face a blaze, or a new widow or widower when they cry
The pain of watching life leave someone, you've worked so hard to save
Saying good bye to a friend and comrade, as you walk him to his grave

But this life he chose, day after day
Going back for more, when others would just turn and walk away
A special breed, a man, if any walked the planet
Doing it all with a loving heart, caring eyes, and a loyalty as strong as granite

I didn't know it back then, as I watched him come and go
He was teaching me things, the things that I really needed to know
Not with speech or touch, or even openly showing me the way
But by example, being a role model, the words he didn't need to say

I feel myself taking challenge head on, rising to the call
Being there for those who need, and carrying them when they fall
I sometimes have to put it on the line, doing the things that I need to do
But this sense of commitment and responsibility, I now realize is nothing new

Nothing comes very easy, and life can be very tough
Sometimes I just want turn and say, "Forget it! Enough is enough!"
But something turns me back around, and gets me back on track
It must be my hero, that guy that they call "Jack"

For in me burns the need for challenge, to never settle for less
To give it all my everything, and always do my best
These needs come from within, somewhere deep inside
Which helps me accomplish my difficult mission, yet still be by my loved ones side

I now know what it is to be a man, to be so tough and strong
It's not just in what you say or do, nor never being wrong
It's just being there when you're needed, always coming through
Doing what needs to be done, "Even when you don't want to."

It's having the strength to help a stranger in need, to put it on the line
To give that stranger your caring touch, never knowing the words "me," "I," or "mine,"
This is what it takes to be a man, and this I've now come to realize
And I learned it long ago, watching my hero, and all the reflections in his eyes

So here's to you dad, its 1995, and yet another year has gone past
I'm on my own, raising my own family, but I think that I have learned pretty fast
All those years of being "Daddies little helper," and watching you be you
I'm a husband, a daddy, a leader in the United States Marines, and I just wanted to say...

"Thank you!"

(Note: The Pat mentioned in the above poem is a good friend of mine that I grew up with. His dad is a District Chief with the Boston Fire Department, and Pat is now on E-33)