My Dad

A lot of people thought Lincoln did not have what it took to be President of the United States but I think he was the greatest President to ever live. He was courageous when it wasn't popular to think all men were created equal. He stood up against many important people of his time and said, "Free the Slaves." He faced many personal trials, like losing his son at a young age, like poverty and being uneducated. He worked hard to educate himself and eventually become a lawyer, a senator and then the President.

I would like to tell you about my Dad because I think Lincoln and him have some similar characteristics. My Dad is strong. Like Abraham Lincoln, he has worked hard under very difficult situations. Abraham was known to use an axe with skill, to clear land and prepare soil. My Dad has done the same thing. For almost 10 years he worked on the fire lines clearing land, trees and brush to stop raging wildfires. My Dad has helped many people in his lifetime, as a Fire Captain he has helped thousands of people in accidents, those who were sick, those who were lost and scared. He has seen people suffer, die, and sacrifice their lives too many times to count; yet he has remained true to his calling as a public servant, just as Abraham did!

Lincoln was a great leader. Leaders needed to keep their goals in focus, they need to make difficult decisions, they need to stay motivated and sometimes take the heat from those around them. My Dad has taken the heat from making very difficult decisions. He told me once, several years ago, two teenagers were driving on a very curvy mountain road, when their car swerved to the right and in order to miss the oncoming car they turned toward the steep side, falling into the canyon below. My dad was on duty at the time, just 30 minutes away, and could not get there without some help. He called for the hospital helicopter to land as near to the crash as possible, in a large field. Within one hour my Dad's whole world changed! The helicopter caught some large tree limbs, on the night landing and crashed in a terrible mess. The pilot was killed and the two nurses on board suffered major life threatening injuries! My dad, the two teenagers, the hospital staff, the fire fighters on duty, the parents and so many others were devastated!

I can imagine, Lincoln must have felt that heavy type of burden for all those sons, brothers and fathers who lost their lives because he, Lincoln, wanted the slaves to be free. He made a difficult decision to call for what was right even when the conditions were all wrong, just like my DAD! It's not always being a leader.

Great men and great leaders are hard to find but it was what we needed most when the Civil War began. Somehow God made it happen, in our history of this amazing country, he gave us a noble leader who had great integrity and for this he remains my Hero along with the every-day-hero, my Dad.