“Signs of Courage” Through the Eyes of a Future Veteran

I am very proud to share the following with you all. It was written by Timmy, the son of my partner while I was still “riding the box” as a Paramedic in EMS. Little Timmy was in the 6^th Grade when he wrote this wonderful glimpse through the eyes of a child as to what Courage really means. As Timmy has grown up, his father, Firefighter and Retired Staff Sergeant Timothy Acord, Sapper, US Army has reason to be very proud, and that he is… Little Timmy is not so little anymore, no, and in fact is now Timothy Acord, E3, Private First Class, US Army. Timmy plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Sapper as well.

Sappers Lead the Way!

It is with great pride and honor that we offer our undying gratitude to both of them and all Veterans. Your service and sacrifices will not be forgotten.  

Signs of Courage

by Timothy Levan Acord, 6^th Grade, Groves Middle School, Groves, TX

“Signs of Courage” What does that mean? The dictionary says, “Courage is knowing the danger, difficulty and fear of the situation and having the willingness to overcome it.” To me, it is a person being real brave. To someone else, it might mean something different. I spoke to the men at the Groves Fire Department, who happen to face courage every day, and this is what they said:

I asked Mr. Jamie Johnston, “Do you think you have more courage than a person who doesn’t do the job you do?” He said, “No, because I feel I have a different kind of courage.”

I asked Doug Bledsoe, “How did you feel on 9/11?” He said, “Before 9/11, I was concerned about business, money and school. After that, my outlook changed and those things didn’t seem so important anymore.”

I asked Mr. Greg Dale, “What if you were in a burning building and a person you were trying to help had a broken bone?” He said, “First, get them outside to safety and then give the person to EMS.”

Mr. Jerry Boudreaux is a Captain that has worked for 34 years as a Fire Fighter. I asked him, “Have you had a bad dream?” And he said, “Yes, and it was a long time ago, and there was a burning building called the Black Cat, and I lost a boy in the burning building, and I had a bad dream about it.”

I asked Mr. Kelly Moore, “Have you ever wished you had picked another job?” He said, “No, because I like helping people.”

I asked Mr. Rodney Lewis, “Have you ever wished you had picked another job?” He said, “No, because I really enjoy what I do and I always enjoy helping people in their time of need.”

Through talking to these brave people who face this courage every day, I have learned that the word “courage” means a lot more than what the dictionary says, and what I thought courage meant. I learned that anyone who wakes up and goes to work every day,  day in and day out – be it a Teacher, Fire Fighter, Butcher, Paramedic, Banker, Housewife, or a Police Officer – we all face courage in our way every day.

My father has a sticker on his truck which says “POW-MIA All Gave Some, Some Gave All”. This means we all give what we can every day, but there are a few people that end up giving all as did those on 9/11.

And so I say to all of you, when you feel like you can’t go on, that life is too hard, remember these words: Courage is knowing the danger, difficulty and fear of the situation and having the willingness to overcome it. And thank God we live a country where we are able to choose how we live!

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