| In Honor of Heroes By Beth Beutler |  |
1 This fictional story is dedicated to the brave men and women who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and to everyday heroes around the world.2 My uncle is a fireman. I always thought he had a cool job. He gets to stay at the firehouse two nights per week and sleep in a bunk. The firemen practice sliding down a pole and playing with neat equipment like gas masks. Well, I thought it was playing. Uncle Robert took the time to explain some things to me one day. He sometimes brought me to the station to help polish the trucks. That day when we took a break for lunch, we had a talk.
3 "Brady," he said, "What do you think of the firehouse?"
4 "I think it's cool! You guys get to dress up in cool uniforms and slide down a pole. You get to help in exciting ways. How fun!"
5 Uncle Robert chuckled. "Brady, I want you to understand something. It certainly is 'cool' to be a firefighter in one way. And it certainly can be exciting. However, you need to know that it can be a very dangerous profession."
6 Uncle Robert went on. "Let me tell you about a good friend who went to school with me. Mark and I were trained one summer to serve in the fire department. Mark was gifted at it. He was brave, and he always ran in to help no matter what the danger.
7 "After serving a few years in our rural fire department, Mark decided he wanted more excitement. So he applied to work for NYFD, the New York City Fire Department. He moved there in August of 2001. He was assigned to a fire station near the World Trade Center."
8 At this point, my uncle stopped for a moment. He seemed to be bracing himself.
9 "Anyway, Mark had pretty much learned the ropes within a few weeks. In September, a buddy of his was scheduled to work and his wife had a baby. So he asked Mark to take his shift. Mark went on duty at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Do you remember what happened that day?"
10 "Yes," I answered sadly.
11 "Mark was one of the first to run into the World Trade Center after it had been hit by the first plane." Uncle Robert paused again. "Brady, he never came back out. Some people running out of the building were heard to say, 'there's a fireman up there. He got us out of here. Help him!' But, it was too late."
12 Uncle Robert was silent for a moment. "They never found him."
13 I looked at my uncle with sad eyes. "Uncle Robert, Mark was a real hero, wasn't he?"
14 "Yes, Brady, he was. But do you know why? It's not so much because he died in a dramatic national tragedy. It was because he was doing his job every day in the very best way possible. He didn't set out to be a hero, but he became one just the same. Several people are alive today because Mark was unselfish."
15 "Wow," I replied.
16 Uncle Robert continued. "It was a terrible day for America. Not only did an attack occur in New York City, but our center of military operations, the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C., was hit when a plane crashed into it. In addition, another flight was under attack and crashed in Pennsylvania. We are not sure what it might have hit. There were everyday heroes in both of those places, too."
17 "I just wanted you to know that jobs like this are not always fun and games. Protecting the public is serious business, and there are so many people in all kinds of jobs that are heroes every day. I'll never forget Mark and the many others who died that day. I want to honor them by being the best firefighter I can be every single day."
18 From that time forward, visiting the firehouse held more meaning for me. I did my very best to learn and to shine those trucks with extra effort. I am very proud of these people, especially my uncle.