Proud Day for a Fireman's Daughter

I was 8 years old. I could barely contain my excitement the day my daddy came to school in the fire engine! My best friend Terri Silk stood with me next to our teacher in front of Orange Grove School where our daddies were due to arrive any moment. We held hands, as schoolgirls do, we wiggled and giggled. Above the noise of the crowd of kids, came the sound we knew so well--a sound that normally made us anxious--the siren. Finally, rounding the corner, came the hook and ladder truck with siren whining and horn blasting!

When the truck pulled to a stop Terri's dad, Johnny Silk, jumped off the back fender along with several other firefighters; the cab door opened and my dad, Paul Cox, stepped down from inside. Dark blue uniforms and bright white caps--would there ever be such a moment of total excitement and pride?

The rest of the demonstration of the hook and ladder truck with hoses and horns has not stayed clear in my mind through all these years. I am certain it was filled with as many oohs and ahhs as any Fourth of July fireworks display.

But the sweetest memory of that day, for me, is the pride I felt as the Firefighter's Daughter.