"You HAVE to go out there....you don't necessarily have to come back."
Incredibly brave..for me...the bravest of the brave...I was in the military, though never saw combat..but always believed that I would be able to rise to the challenge if called.
Police and firefighters are courageous, but in the majority of cases they can, to some extent, define, shape, and control the situation. And can always back off and regroup.
But to go out into a raging gale, a storm that covered hundreds of square miles..to confront the full ferocity of nature..in a small cutter..or worse, to fly into that in a rescue chopper...I honestly don't think I could do it..
I sure as hell don’t know how thay turn off what their eyes see...
Heh. My company commander in boot camp talked about that saying one day... and he followed up with "the HELL you don't... you damn well better bring your boat or helo back. Those things are expensive!"
:-)