A Fireman's Edge

By Preston Gallup

A Fireman's Edge is about the life of a career firefighter. As a Christian from an early age, the author felt a calling to serve his fellow man through the fire service. Through many circumstances and many close calls throughout his career, the author believes that his faith in the Lord is what gave him an edge. To overcome the many fears, perils, and near-death experiences while walking on the edge can only be attributed to a much higher power. A loving God that watches over his children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645153917

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A Fireman's Edge

Preston Gallup

Copyright © 2019 by Preston Gallup

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 1

Do You Believe in Angels?

Iwas born in 1954 to two loving parents, Marion and Dorothy Gallup. I cannot remember a time in my life that I was not regularly attending church. Sure, there were many times we missed church, like holidays, when we visited relatives. Some of my fondest childhood memories were when we visited my grandparents in Slidell, Louisiana. I always looked forward to seeing all of my cousins and hoped that my Uncle LV would be home.

Uncle LV was a sea captain. He would be at sea for months at a time, and when he would return home, you would find him the very next day sailing on Lake Pontchartrain. His sailboat was approximately twenty-five feet long and made entirely of wood. It had a full-length keel. It was most definitely not a racing boat but made a very enjoyable day sailor. My uncle found this boat somewhere in South America and had it loaded aboard his ship and brought it home.

As children, my mom and her three brothers grew up on the water, traveling up and down the mighty Mississippi River on the steamboat, America. The owner and captain of the America was none other than my great grandfather, Captain LV Cooley the First.

If you are wondering what the initials LV stand for, it is LeVerrier. I know, it is not a very common name now days. The Captain, as the family refers to him, owned and operated several steamboats during his lifetime which include the Ouachita, pronounced wash-it-taw and the Tensas, pronounced Ten-Saw. The Tensas had a large round saw mill blade suspended between the smoke stacks with the number 10 painted on it.

The Steamer America, however, was the Captain’s pride and joy. She was built at the Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Indiana. She was launched on October 12, 1898. The America was capable of hauling 3,500 bales of cotton. The America also transported bananas and many other needed commodities as well as passengers. The America had many good years of service, but she eventually sank at the foot of Broadway in New Orleans on August 13, 1926.

If you are ever driving into New Orleans from Baton Rouge along I-10, you will pass a large cemetery in Metairie, Louisiana. If you look to the right, you may catch a glimpse of a large green-tinted bell. This is the bell of the Steamer America which now marks the graves of the Captain, his wife, and other family members.

While I mentioned earlier how my mom and three brothers were comfortable on the water and very good swimmers, my dad was not. One day, while sailing on Lake Pontchartrain with my uncles and cousins, the wind died. It was one of those super-hot, high-humidity, miserable, muggy days. It was the kind of day you can hardly see because of the sweat pouring in your eyes. Being very hot and miserable, my dad decided to go for a swim to cool off. Without saying a word, he just jumped off the side of the boat into the lake. Keep in mind, this boat is rigged under full sail. He did not have on a lifejacket or anything that floated and no floating tag line that would trail behind the boat to grab onto.

Now in south Louisiana, we have a saying that is if you don’t like the weather, just wait a couple of minutes and it will change. Yep, you guessed it, Old Murphy showed up that day, and things got real serious real fast. As a gentle breeze began to blow, the boat slowly began to move. By the time my dad realized the boat was moving, it was already too late. My uncles started yelling at him to swim. My dad started swimming with all of his might. The harder he swam, the farther the boat got away from him. In a short period of time, he realized that there was no way he could catch up to the boat, and he began to panic. To panic in the water is the worst thing you can do. Would this fun day of sailing with family be the day that my dad would meet Jesus? Would God build a hedge of protection around my dad? Would God send a guardian angel to protect my dad, or would I watch him struggle crying out for help and see him slide beneath the surface never to return?

In my research of the scripture, I could find no evidence of a guardian angel being mentioned. I have heard it stated by people that everyone has a guardian angel, but I have found there is no biblical evidence to support this. We do know that an angel went before Israel. In Exodus 23:20, the Bible says, Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. In my Bible, I have only found two angels named, which are Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel is known as