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On the morning of July 4th, I
got up and out early from HFD Sta.64. It was
a quiet night so I was good and rested. I
took my regular routine to get out the door,
I said my good morning hello’s to all the
guys coming on shift and then got my coffee
to go. I was excited and ready to get home
to see my wife and son and then to head off
to church. I thought to myself that there
was not a better day to celebrate the 4th
than on a Sunday. After church, my family
and I enjoyed the afternoon by eating BBQ,
sipping on sweet tea and relaxing by the
pool. "How awesome is this?" Where else can
you have this much freedom without fear than
the good old US of A. But what I also
realized was that there was a price that was
paid for my excessive lounging by the pool.
Later on I was at the Kroger store and I saw
an elderly man sitting on the bench in his
Kroger uniform outside on his smoke break. I
noticed the tattoos on his arms and they did
not look like your typical tattoos of today.
I started talking to him and I said "by the
looks of your tattoos it appears that you
served in the Navy". His reply was "I served
in WWII on a submarine". I continued to talk
with the man and finished by saying "thank
you for your service to our country and our
freedom and to have a happy 4th". What an
awesome day it was. I said goodbye to my
wife and son and headed to Sta. 181’s for
the night shift. On the drive over I
reflected on the day’s events and thought
about the sacrifice of our soldiers. I met
Rich at the door and we talked and laughed
for a bit, but then he asked me if I had
heard the news. Unsure of what he was
talking about I replied, "What news"? There
was a Wharton Firefighter that was killed
this morning in a warehouse fire. I just
spent the whole day enjoying my day at
church and spending time with family and
recalling the goodness of our nation to have
that joy and excitement to come crashing
down. I got more information about the
fireman. Thomas Araguz III was 30 years old,
married with two sons and an 11 year veteran
of the Wharton Fire Dept. who had just
recently been promoted to Captain. Without
speculation and not knowing all the details,
all I knew was that a brother firefighter
was killed in the line of duty. My heart
sank and I was asking and searching for
reasons why. That’s what we fireman do, we
want to know. Details, answers, what was the
reason, but at the time, there were none.
All I knew was that my heart was hurting for
his family and fellow firefighters. In
moments like these, all we can do is to look
to God and pray, "You are the Captain of my
soul, without you I am nothing". Let’s not
forget, we as firefighters serve a very
important roll. Don’t let anything or anyone
discourage you or take that away, but in
return, be humble about your service and God
will bless you for it. Let’s continue to
remember the Araguz family and when you have
a moment throughout the days ahead, say a
prayer for his wife and two sons because now
is a critical time when they need a touch
from God. Philippians 4:7 May the peace of
God which surpasses all understandings will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
Mark
Akers
Mark Akers
Chaplain
Magnolia
Volunteer Fire Department
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January 2010
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