Hey Timothy,

Admittedly, being the lord over an Apache, an A-10 Warthog (BRRRRRRRT) or an F-16 sounds like an awesome job. I’d love to do that too. I’ve watched all documentaries I could get my hands on. I’ve seen everything, from training videos to actual declassified combat footage. From Top Gun to Red Flag Footage. There’s footage on Youtube of a soldier who’s being attacked in Afghanistan, as an A-10 swoops in. You don’t see much, but you hear the sound of the guardian angel raining down justice in multiple fly-bys.

Just seeing the Blue Angels pull off their incredibly skilled maneuvers with their modified F/A-18D Hornets is inducing adrenaline rushes and cause for much envy.

But let’s not forget that I think the same about firefighters. It’s another job that I’d love to have done, but probably wouldn’t be cut out for. (The pilot thing was something about my height and my feet being not perfect when I enlisted — They told me from the get-go that I’d never become a pilot or paratrooper)

You have done one of the most honorable and taxing jobs I can think of, for more than 2 decades. You have picked and endured a job I directly connect with modern heroism. In a sense that’s even cooler than being a fighter pilot (sorry guys — you still rock though)

And for that, you’ll always have my utmost respect. Firefighters, Police officers and EMT-workers all work relentlessly and often are the first to arrive at gut-wrenching scenes.

Somewhere on Medium, there’s a retired fighter pilot, writing “If I wasn’t a writer, I’d become a firefighter”

Godspeed.