Cedar Dave, thank you for all the links, the broadcast connection and follow-along, donation sites, and the archived link. It was most generous of you to compile the info and share this heart-touching and beautiful memorial with us.
A couple of months ago, I made a new friend who touched my heart - a veteran firefighter. I’d just moved here, and one night, I looked across the street and saw him tinkering on the Model-A coupe in his garage. I walked over to introduce myself and admire it, and before long, he was recounting his firefighting days, of lives won and lost, and of his fallen comrades.
When I gently teased him about his ever-present shriner’s cap, he told me he always wore it, even at night, because of severe burns he received rescuing a baby and two kids from a burning home. He regularly drives children to the shriner’s hospitals south and west of the city.
Wherever they are, in heaven or on earth, these brave souls are a true league of extraordinary gentleman. May God bless them and keep them and comfort those who love them. Amen.
having spent 6 seasons in Southern California wildland fire as a young man, Forest Service engines, helitack and First Shovel on the Hot Shots , I have had to run for my life many times on hotline, spent many nights holding line in a light combat sleep with boots on, spent weeks out on the line with scarce food or water. I could write a book, so I have an extremely close feeling of knowing what it would be like to cook in a firefight.Our Motto was screw that baked potato wrapper and run for your life
I have an intense burning anger at the US forest service about this, the cheap incompetent basterds should have had at least five C-130s ready to drop retardant on that crew. I was saved a few times by air support. The brave pilot contractors would swoop in at treetop level, VFR in heavy smoke and crazy wind in old WW2 bombers and drop right on us when we were overrun, but they mothballed the contractors and wont spend the funding on the hundreds of NG C-130's
the US Government is scoudrell scum, they can spend gazillions of dollars to rout Ghadaffy or Saddaam to loot their money but cant spare a dime for to save their own
Screw You Biden , I hope you burn in hell
You're very welcome. Here is another (Hat tip: Brad’s Gramma) but very poor quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8749jBCe4yc&feature=youtu.be
The C-span link is still active, too, but they lost the first 30 minutes. My suggestion for anyone who wants to watch is to watch the first 30 minutes on YouTube and then watch the rest on C-Span: