May 1, 2022

Will retired yesterday from the fire department.  During the past 21 years, I've watched him go from rookie to lieutenant to captain to battalion chief.  He's loved his career, especially the earlier ranks and riskier jobs.  Since he and Bonnie started their own business (buying, transforming and renting houses) and have done so well in it, he decided to retire from his first career and devote more time to the more active work he's doing with houses.

I'm so proud of Will!  He's one of the truly good guys, not only in his mama's opinion but in the words of the hundreds of people who have wished him well, many of whom were at Flores Country Store in Helotes this afternoon for his retirement celebration.  

One of my dearest memories of Will happened before he was chief.  At the funeral of a firefighter who was tragically killed in a fire,  I saw Will walking from truck to truck to personally talk to all the visiting firefighters who'd come from outside San Antonio to attend the funeral. This is the kind of family they are; if one of their own dies in the line of service, they are all brothers and sisters.

I felt that family feeling this afternoon but on a happier note: brothers thanking him for his leadership as chief and sharing stories of their work together over the years. 

He attracts people of all stripes with his kindness and lively spirit.  After reading his blog post this morning (I'm copying the first three paragraphs),  I still have a lump in my throat. 

When I was 22 years old I had three dark blue uniforms pressed for the first day of the fire academy and one pair of polished, steel toe work boots. The clock radio went off at 4:45 a.m. playing The Fireman by George Strait like some sort of F.M. omen. I had no idea the ride I was about to begin.

I would make some of my best friends along this 21 year journey and I’d see things I couldn’t have imagined before it. I’d watch those twin towers fall in my first few shifts and see firefighters enter the public consciousness again. 

I sought out the busiest stations and the places I could learn the most. I volunteered for EMS and went to Paramedic school despite having a free ticket out of it. I’m so grateful I did. I’d polish up on Spanish as a Lieutenant at 25’s on the Southwest side and get good at landing helicopters and packing wounds. I’d get on at Rescue as a Captain and hang from ropes and slither through caves and run rapids at night. I’d make Battalion Chief and run fires and rescue calls from a radio. My hands got soft. It was one promotion too many for my personality.

Much Like I Feel With This Transition