When The Brave Ones Cried

Lee Dalton

Review

“A screaming boy leaned out the fourth floor window as smoke began to billow around him. In a flash, the smoke ignited into flames and shot him out the window like a cork from a bottle; his shirt and hair blazing as he plummeted to the ground. The impact nearly knocked me over, as he slammed into the ladder three rungs above and slid right into my arms. I quickly smothered the burning shirt and slapped out the flames in his hair. Looking down, I wiped a tear from his charred cheek . . . then wiped one from my own.”

Fresh out of the Fire Department Academy, Booter had just pinned on his new badge. While celebrating in Dudley's tavern he tried to ignore the chiding from his buddies:

"Engine 5, eh? Better watch it boy. That's the Mormon Batallion down there, Nearly everybody in Battalion Three's a Mormon.

"Be careful Boot, don't let 'em get ya. Those Mormon's are out to convert everybody."

"Yep, we'll be callin' ya 'Brother Bootie' and you'll have five wives and 20 kids."

But ignoring them wasn't going to be easy. And what made it harder was the fact that he'd be thrown in with a black captain and a Mexican trainer, But that was O.K. They weren't going to get him. He could handle it, Or could he?

When the Brave Ones Cried is the story of a firefighter's first year. It's a story of prejudice, self-revelation, and change. A story of fire and smoke—fear and courage—life and death—and attitudes, most of all attitudes. But it's also a story written by a firefighter about one of the most dangerous and courageous jobs in America. It will fill you with compassion. It will captivate you with suspense. It will thrust you into gut-wrenching action and leave you gasping for more.

Lee Dalton became a volunteer firefighter in Hiram, Ohio at the age of 16. Since then he has been chief of two volunteer fire departments, and a ranger with the National Park Service. Many of the experiences related in this book are his own.

Sample Page

Those first twelve weeks had almost killed me. I'd never done anything so difficult in my life. They call the place "The Grinder," and spending a summer there will grind you right down to nothing. Twelve weeks of climbing ladders, dragging hoses, and crawling into a flaming concrete tower in the scorching heat of summer while wearing nearly sixty pounds of protective clothing and breathing equipment had sure redistributed my weight. I was certain that there wasn't an ounce of fat left anywhere on my body.
Then, suddenly, all that was left were a few more minutes of sitting, stiff and starched, in my new dress uniform—a few minutes of sitting and listening while the mayor, a couple of councilmen, a few Department dignitaries and, of course, the Chief told all the world what a great bunch of heroes we were.
I didn't feel like much of a hero that warm September Friday afternoon. I felt more like a survivor. Of the thirty who had started the twelve weeks in The Grinder, I was one of twenty-three who made it. The Grinder had ground us up and spit us out—changed in many ways from what we'd been when we started. I have to admit that I felt a surge of pride. But I remembered, too, what the Chief had just said: "The last weeks have been hard, but the real test still lies ahead."
Tomorrow I'd head for a firehouse in the South Valley and the beginning of twelve months as a "Boot," a brand new probationary firefighter. I'd have no name other than "Boot" or "Booter." I'd get stuck with all the dirty work. I'd be watched carefully in all I did and said by the company captain and the others with whom I shared the house. I'd fight fire. I'd answer medical and rescue calls. I'd see death and suffering in almost all its forms. And I'd face death myself. I'd be proving myself—in every instance.
I have to admit it. I was nervous.

	Order Information

Title: When The Brave Ones Cried Author: Lee Dalton Retail Price: $10.98 Available: Now ISBN: 0-88290-282-2 Order Number (SKU): 1967 Pages: 178 Size: 5.5" x 8.5" Binding: Paperback