Voices of Patriotism: Lee Whitehurst

Lee Whitehurst is a fire chief for East Manatee Fire-Rescue and lives in Central Park and considers anyone who serves their community a patriot. 

Inteviewed by Jay Heater

"What is a patriot? When you look it up, it is one who supports and defends the country. I have never served in the military, so if that is part of the definition, then I guess I am not. Without question those folks in the military are patriots. I don't see myself in the same stratosphere as them. Nothing we do can compare to that. We are just not in the same world.''

"When I was doing research on 9-11, it did call those firemen (at the World Trade Center) patriots. In fact, 9-11 was called Patriot Day by our president. In that light, those folks were patriots, defending our country. Is doing what I do, defending our country? I don't know. Those people on the plane (that went down) in Pennsylvania, those were patriots."

"I do know I vote, I follow the laws, I pay taxes. I have political beliefs. I care about where the country is going. I serve my community. I will have worked 40 years in July for Manatee County in fire service. I started with Samoset as a cadet, and I started making money in 1987."

"Is serving your community being a patriot? Anyone who serves their community matters, and especially a local community. That's putting the needs of your country over yourself. It's the giving of your time. If that is being a patriot, then yes, we can be considered patriots at a local level in small-town America."

"You could be helping at Kiwanis, or the Red Cross or the Salvation Army. People who improve their community by doing it and not just by talking about it, I guess those would be patriots."

"I also think you can answer for yourself, if it ever came to it and the country needed me, would I be there? For me, the answer is yes. You have to love and support your country and if it comes to it, defend your country. If being a patriot means loving and supporting your country, I do."

"I was a flag boy at Samoset Elementary. That was when you didn't have a light shining on it so you had to bring it down each day and put it up in the morning. One of the things I learn was that when you respect the flag, you respect the country. You see all these flags now flying half staff. You are only supposed to do that after a proclamation by the president or the governor."

"If you travel abroad, you will see how well we have it. You will realize the years of sacrifice people went through to get it. I think, for the most part, some people might not realize it because they don't see it. But when you travel, it gives you even more reason to love and support this country. No matter how you slice it, the United States is probably better than most countries."