"The work, the suffering, the endurance -- that's where the beauty of our profession lies."

James Greenwood and Luke Miller are our guests for Episode 8. James and Luke (along with Joe Lunghofer — sorry we couldn’t get you there, Joe) are the driving forces behind the superb Boise Firefighter’s Symposium. Their backgrounds and experience are varied and have helped shape their unique perspectives and capabilities. 

James began his career in fire over twenty years ago as an engine dork on a wildland fire crew. Despite his ignominious beginnings (“The first time I ever slept outside was on my first fire”), James has gathered a wide and unique array of experience since that time, including completing law school and practicing law in Nevada, operating as a hotshot and a smokejumper, and transitioning to the structure firefighting world with Santa Fe FD before moving to Boise Fire Department in 2012. 

Luke has served with the Boise Fire Department since 2012, but has been serving our country since 1999 as a reservist in the Marine Corps. Luke was called into duty in 2004 for a tour in Iraq as a tanker. During this time, he was involved in a battle for which he was later decorated with the Military Vanguard Award and a Bronze Star. As one of the most humble men I’ve ever met, Luke only shares this story with us after much badgering, and continues to downplay his own role. You can read about this battle in Brian Stann’s book, Heart for the Fight, and well as this newspaper link.

Luke and James worked tirelessly to create and perfect the Boise Firefighter's Symposium (which is a part of FireNuggets, check out their classes and online magazine), along with many other passionate members at Boise Fire Department. Brothers in Battle will be there with our VES and both Basic and Advanced classes. Registration is open now. 

Books/articles discussed:

What Does It Mean to Be a Quiet Professional? By Rob Shaul

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

The Murder of the Impossible by James Greenwood

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This podcast features the song “Spray Paint it Gold”, by Little Glass Men, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.