Seek, Save and Serve

One of my friends is a firefighter. He always complained how tough his job was, and how it didn't appear to be as rewarding as he expected it to be. Just a day or 2 ago however, there was a car crash on the AYE. His team was activated, they rushed to the scene and saved a life. Now he says that having saved a life makes the job that much more worth it! It started to get me thinking 'bout my own "life and death" experiences.....

I was once a young medic of the field, sworn to seek, save and serve my fellow soldiers. I received a distress call from the middle of the Brunei jungle about a fallen comrade. Since I was the nearest medic, I immediately rushed to the scene with an evacuation party. We bashed through thick undergrowth and undulating terrain for more than an hour before reaching the casualty. The casualty was comatose, and there was already a doctor with him. Together, we squeezed every packet (and I mean squeeze EVERY packet) of Hartman I had into him, but we failed to revive him. Time was running out, and the young doctor was panicking, I could see he was about to cry. And that totally freaked me out.... The stretcher party didn't seem to care much 'bout this guy; they were laughing and joking away. There was no way we could get the casualty out the way we came in because nightfall would come in less than an hour. Once its nightfall in Brunei, you can't see, so this guy would essentially be a gone case 'cos he wouldn't have lasted the night without medical treatment.....

We picked up the stretcher and walked in a general direction. Miraculously, less than 10 minutes before sundown we heard shouts. Somebody had found a way out to the main road, and there was a vehicle nearby. If we had been 10 minutes too late, that would have been it.... That night I didn't speak a word. I couldnt even reply when barked at by my Encik (or Sergeant Major for u non-military folks) aka Mad Dog. I had lost my voice till I was sure this guy was alive.....

That was 6 years ago. Though the guy I saved never was very grateful, that event changed my outlook on life. 6 years is a long time, and I thought I'd forget about it, but the look on his comatose face and the "about to cry" look on the doctor's face still lingers on....

To those of you who's daily work involves saving (or attempting to save) lives, I salute you. Though the career may not always appear to be as rewarding or respectable as you expect, do not give up. There is no greater honor than to seek, save and serve.....