“Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photo courtesy of DepositPhotos
My father started an annual trout fishing trip to the eastern High Sierras sometime in the mid 1960s. He invited several of his friends and coworkers from the Los Angeles Police Department. I started going with them in the late ‘60s.
After my dad passed away, I continued with the fishing trips with the exceptions of the years 2022 and 2023. While preparing for a renewed fishing trip this October with my oldest son, Richard, his son, Charlie and his brother-in-law Jay and Jay’s son, Sam, my memories of the earlier trips surfaced.
One of the fishermen who came every year was Con Keeler who was one of the original members of the Gang Squad. Con worked with my grandfather and my dad. Another was Jimmy Steele who was a Homicide detective at University Division of LAPD. Jimmy and my dad were in the same squad in the Army Rangers in the South Pacific in WWII.
While a lot of veterans of wars are reluctant to talk about their combat experiences. I was fortunate enough to hear a lot of conversations between Jimmy and my dad about the things they went through in New Guinea, several Pacific islands and the Philippines. After a day of fishing, we would cook dinner and then sit around a campfire, have a libation, and talk. I learned a lot at those campfire sessions.
Jimmy once saved my dad’s life in New Guinea, when my dad fell off a log, while crossing a river. My father had the wind knocked out of him and he was carrying a heavy pack. Jimmy was able to pull him out of the raging water.
One of the things they spoke about was the courage of the men who served with them. Because their mission was to gather intelligence about Japanese troop movements, this squad of rangers made many rubber boat landings behind Japanese lines. Jimmy and my father often stated how nervous they were before they went on these missions. What they called “nervous” most of us would equate with fear. This is an obvious response when facing a very dangerous situation. Yet, they overcame this fear and went out and did their job.
One of the best examples of this phenomenon, I overheard at one of those campfire talks, one night at French Camp, near Tom’s Place, north of Bishop. Jimmy Steele was talking about one of the battles they were involved in. My dad brought up the name, (which I can’t remember), of a Mexican kid who was in their unit. I believe they said he was from the Chicago area. They said that before any mission or combat they knew they would be involved in, this young soldier would be literally shaking with fear. Once the action started, however, this “kid” was rock solid and as steady as a rock. Both my father and Jim Steele expressed their admiration for this soldier’s conquering of his fear and his excellent job he did in combat.
This week I’ll be fishing with my son, grandson and his brother-in-law and nephew, in some of the same lakes and streams I fished with my dad. I’ll be thinking of the fun we had fishing and camping. But I’ll also remember the wisdom I heard at those campfires.
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2 thoughts on “Overcoming Fear – Buz Blog”
Buz, I think the comradery you had with family that served in real wars, became serving your community in an also dangerous work environment never lost the strength of character you all had from a healthy faithful family at home. The Mexican kid from Chicago did not carry the same strengths as the others but because of their strengths he too became confident in a time of extreme danger.
No doubt those values would serve each of you as your career choices led you through the days and nights on patrol with the Long Beach Police Department.
No doubt there is another story of the new wife after military service and on into police work and the importance of family in your ability to be at the top of your skill set.
Tom, thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a lot to me. What you say about the importance of family rings so true. Good friends become a part of an individual’s family and take on their values. Good families are the foundation of a great nation. Thanks again, Buz
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