Respect for Life I have been watching, from the outside, a “community’s” reaction to the sudden unexpected death of a leader. I think we see it when anyone who is in a position of authority passes away and find it curious that even though many don’t personally know the deceased; they still mourn his passing. This event happened in the City of Meadville, Pennsylvania yesterday; when their Fire Chief was stricken with a fatal heart attack. This man was a friend and a leader, a husband and a father. He was someone who the entire community obviously knew and respected. He was part of a brotherhood of firemen which is a bond that is indescribable; yet very visible as I watch the reaction of those who are a part of his vocational family. From the moments the tones went off, calling EMS to respond to a cardiac event, those in earshot of a radio heard the address and the name of the patient turned victim. Ambulances and fire trucks raced with lights and sirens to this home where this beloved man was already gone. They rushed him to the Emergency Room where all the medical expertise in the world could not stop, reverse or change this man’s fate. He met his God and his absence became the most shocking news anyone in this community could imagine. His peers…his “brothers” didn’t want him to be alone so they took him “home” to the station, while his body rested; waiting in an ambulance to be delivered to a medical examiner to determine his cause of death. These men mourned their loss of their Chief, the man who led them in an occupation that literally can mean life or death in the snap of a finger. Although his death was not in the “line of duty”, their duty was to honor him in a manner that cannot understood by an outsider. The volunteer departments in the surrounding communities immediately stood on call for the city’s department so they could mourn and prepare for the service that their Chief had earned. Two ladder trucks held the American Flag high above the street where his body would pass beneath as a mile long processional of fire trucks, ambulances and emergency response vehicles escorted his body to be prepared for his final viewing. A passer-by stopped and watched, stating “I did it because it was the right thing to do”. This is the right thing to do. To honor the Chief. To honor a man who served his community in the most dangerous profession; the one most necessary to it’s citizens; who rely on these men and women to attempt to halt the destruction of their home or business from an out-of-control force that threatens everything they hold dear to them, even their very lives. This seems like a fitting thing to do. I have to wonder, what if this man, or any other in such a place of responsibility and authority, was respected and loved as much while his heart was still beating. I have to wonder if we think at all about how fragile life is until it is gone. I think that as we mourn this man’s death and we honor the legacy he left, we have to stop and remember that he was also a father, a husband, a friend and a human being. Do we think about what the people in our lives mean to us, everyday? Do we remember that they are valued by their creator God and that alone entitles them to be respected as one of His own? Do we remember that life is not guaranteed; that we only have this very moment promised and that the next breath isn’t a sure thing? I urge you to be thankful for the people in your life and to honor them daily. If everyone in the world would honor each other as human beings; would love our neighbors and treat them with the same respect that we feel for people like Chief Tunie; if we would consider each life precious and entitled to fair and equal treatment; would this world be in such a state? Would we have school shootings or stabbings; criminals and police killing one another? Would we have bar fights or terrorists? In this holiday season especially, take a moment to remember the simple thing that God asks of us; to love our neighbors as ourselves. Love your neighbor the way you love your children or your parents. Respect each other simply because we all have earned it by our mere presence on this earth. Nothing more. I pray for the amazing and dedicated people who are called to be in the Emergency Services field; whether fire, police or paramedic; these people literally put their lives on the line every single day they go to work; to be there in case you or I need them. Be respectful of the enormous responsibility they take on to protect and keep the peace. Be thankful that there are men and women who willingly place themselves in harms way to aid mankind. Respect isn’t always easy to show; but it is something that makes life worthwhile. Imagine how this man would have felt if all this ceremony would have happened for him yesterday; the day before he was gone. I totally appreciate and actually am awestruck by the dedication and the undeniable bond I have witnessed at this man’s passing. I am proud to be the wife of a retired firefighter and that has given me an insider’s view of this brotherhood. I have seen how this man’s life changed my husband’s life and how he influenced my husband’s sons. I am thankful for the legacy of Chief Tunie. Thank you for dedicating so much of your life to protecting the ones I love. I pray that God’s peace will comfort your family; your wife, children and your blood family; and I pray that your fellow fire-fighters will find strength in your memory and that you will be remembered always by the community you served. I pray for the man who will fill you “boots” as the City of Meadville Fire Station 16 adjusts to life without you. I pray for harmony and peace in your community and in our world. Thank you Chief, for your service and commitment to make the City of Meadville a safer place to live. God Bless You.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 13:50:37 +0000
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