photo by Capt. Willie Wines

This Thanksgiving weekend gave us the chance to reflect on all for which we are thankful.  Whether it be for the love of family, the camaraderie of friends, or any of the various blessings bestowed on us over time, the opportunity to pause and reflect is always welcome.

It also got me thinking about one special event for which I am grateful to have been involved.

Earlier this year, my partner Rhett Fleitz and I were honored to receive an invitation to participate in the activities at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s 2010 Memorial Weekend on the grounds of the National Fire Academy in beautiful Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Firefighter Netcast was asked to help begin to produce a collection of audio stories about the fallen firefighter heroes told by family members.  Led by the family escorts, many surviving spouses, parents, brothers, and sisters graciously offered very personal and highly emotional accounts to help us all come to know their loved one in a very intimate manner.  The stories will be made available at FireHero.org

One story that had an immense emotional impact came up right out of the box, in our first interview of the Weekend. Most of you will remember the tragic story of firefighter Steven “Peanut” Koeser who died less than a year ago when a trash container on fire exploded killing him and seriously injuring many others.

Kelly Walesh and her daughter, Lexus, shared a powerful story of the kindness and gentleness of Lexus’ daddy, a man who loved the fire service nearly as much as his family.  NFFF’s Dave Statter, a veteran  news reporter got us off to a start by doing the actual interview, but I had a chance to talk at length with both Kelly and Lexus immediately afterward and was blessed with a personal account of how “Peanut” affected their lives in the short time they all had together.

I felt truly blessed to have them share their stories.  If any of you readers have a young daughter, you’ll understand how it must have been to talk with young Lexus.  Hearing the memories from this sweet angel brought me directly into the emotional extremes of love and loss being remembered that weekend.

I’ve just received word that both Kelly and Lexus will be on CBS News Sunday Morning this weekend as part of a spotlight on volunteer firefighters. Please check it out to hear a little of what we heard in October, and be thankful that you are so loved by those around you.

God bless you both, Kelly and Lexus, as well as all the others who have suffered the indescribable loss of a firefighter lost in the line of duty.  We all stand with you.

photo by Glenn Udsen

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