Saving lives and serving the community is no small task.  Doing it for forty years certainly that achievement deserves a celebration.
This month the Greene County Rescue Squad celebrates 40 years of caring for the community, growing, serving and saving countless lives.  Member of the squad, fire and law enforcement representatives, the Madison County Rescue Squad, Greene County Board of Supervisors and other dignitaries and supporters gathered at the Ruckersville Fire Department to share dinner, door prizes and reflect on how much the squad has accomplished and where their future leads. 
For a group of ordinary citizens who do extraordinary things, there was no shortage of people wanting to praise and thank them.  Board of Supervisor Chairman and a volunteer firefighter himself, Steve Catalano thanked the squad for being with the firefighters during emergencies and taking on the jobs they could not do themselves.
Holding up his cell phone, Delegate Rob  Bell remarked on how 40 years ago no one would have believed we would all be carrying a phone around with us.  He went on to point out that even more remarkably, when we need help, we use that very same phone and the Greene Rescue Squad is still there to answer our call.
“When people in Greene have a little problem, they call me,” joked Bell.  “When they have a big problem, they call Greene County Rescue.”  In 2007, the Squad answered 1999 calls and will surpass that number this year.
Sheriff Scott Haas offered the squad the greatest compliment he felt a law enforcement officer could give.  “I feel very confident with you behind us because we know you are there if we get hurt.”
Awards were given to many of the members and acknowledgement made of years of service including that of Jake Harlow who has been with the squad all 40 years.
Squad Captain Wanda Hedges relayed the history of the squad.  Until the squad formation in 1968, the only transportation for injured people in Greene County was provided by Ryan Funeral Home.  With help from the Madison County Rescue Squad, a Greene County group bought a used ambulance from Madison for $1 and began providing simple transport.  The ambulance worked out of Ryan’s until construction of the current squad building.
Years of training, work from volunteers and donations from the community have created a squad that can provide modern emergency care and services to Greene County citizens and even provide back-up to other localities in times of need.  The squad has suffered growing pains, loss but great reward and now works to grow with the county.
Others recognized those squad members who had died and are now honored as Fallen Angels.  Tables held scrapbooks featuring photos of the squad’s growth and video montage displayed those photos on a big screen for all to share. 
Although Representative Virgil Goode was unable to attend he sent a flag for presentation to the squad.  The flag was flown above the U. S. Capitol on August 28th in commemoration of the squad’s 40 years of service.
The standing ovation however went to Mike Vogt of Barboursville who was crushed between two trees during an accident in 2007.  While obviously still in pain, he stood in front of the group and told his story of rescue by the squad; of the patience taken, the unhurried and methodical care given and how the actions of the squad saved not only his life but his ability to walk and move. 
Vogt’s words were even more poignant since he is a volunteer firefighter himself.  What better way to recognize the lifesaving volunteers of the Greene County Rescue Squad and those whose lives have been forever changed by their efforts than to hear such praise from a man who has served as a volunteer and been saved by others who volunteer to serve. 

The Last Call

My father was paramedic.
He rode in a big white ambulance
and when he'd go to work each day
he'd say, "I love you both."

Then Dad would not come home again
'til sometime the next day.
But the thing that bothered me the most
was the thing's some folks would say,

"A paramedic's life is easy,
he eats and sleeps and plays,
and sometimes he won't run a call
for hours and hours."

When I first heard these words
I was too young to understand
but I knew when people had trouble
Dad was there to lend a hand.

Then my father went to work one day
and kissed us all goodbye
but little did we realizes
that night we all would cry.

My father lost his life that day
when the ambulance flipped and rolled
and I'd wondered why he'd risk his life
for someone he did not know.

But not I truly realize
the greatest gift a man can give
is to lay his life upon the line
so that someone else might live.

So as we go from day to day
and we pray to God above
say a prayer for your local paramedic,
He may save the one's you love.

-Modified to fit Neal,
original poem
"The Last Call,"  - author unknown