LOOKING BACK
As I sit back and reflect on the four and a half months I spent going through this training, I feel blessed to have been involved in such an awesome feat. I learned things well beyond what I ever expected. I feel like I now have a skill that is quite useful. Most importantly, I can help people with what I know. I think that if I am never able to fly again, I would definitely follow through with becoming a full time EMT. Heck, I may even decide to do this as a part-time or volunteer job.
In the end, it is the people that I will miss the most. The 16 students, countless assistant instructors, Rachel Kierksiek, and I created friendships that I will carry forever. There were people from all walks of life that I came into contact with. Ranging in age from 17 to 40+ (I'll leave it at that), everyone came to the class with a bit of knowledge of their own, but most importantly, willing to learn something new everyday. There were high school students, Wildland Firefighters, a school Principal, a Bio-Chem Major, Ski Patrol members, hospital workers looking for a new career, folks traveling from the far east side of the U.S. to Utah looking for a new start, a person following in their sister's path to one day become a flight paramedic on the Intermountain Lifeflight helicopter, another following in their father's footsteps into emergency medicine, special needs workers, blood donation workers, and a National Guard soldier. And then you have plain and simple me. To be honest, my life is small and meager when I listened to the stories of my fellow classmates. Some had already gone through a ton to be here today. They have nothing to prove. I learned that some were fighting the same battles of the mind as I had been at one point in our lives. To want to become a part of this career field was only a testament to their character. Resiliency is the most important trait I learned from these people. Never give up, never stop fighting, and never let the bastard called Death win. I know the future of our community and the future of America are in great hands because we will have people like these you see in these pictures taking care of us. They are the ones willing to work nights, weekends, holidays, and birthdays to respond to the broken. They are willing to do this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in inclement weather, in hazardous conditions, while keeping their emotions bottled up as they attempt to save the life of someone they know will never return to the living ever again. It takes a special person to be an EMT. It is not for the weak or wary. No, this job is only for those bad asses that walk to the beat of their own drum. And when the proverbial defecation hits the oscillation, it will be these people you will call on that will be there to save your life.