Why We Do It

(note: this unedited post was part of the original heartofahero.org website.  Since that time certain elements of the story have been mis-represented by some in the media and others unaware of the true story behind the song.  In posting this original, in no way are we trying to re-write history as it’s come to be known (a.k.a. popular belief).  We post it so that others, who were not here in the beginning, can know the truth.)

November 2001, sirens wailed across the sky. Michelle’s brother lay on the ground dying. Suffering tremendous damage to his head as a result of a criminal act involving a car accident, the first responders were the Menifee Valley Fire Department. They kept Aaron alive.

We often only think of firefighters as fighting fires. That is only a portion of what these brave men do. They respond to accidents, incidents, alarms, of course fires, and as everyone knows, the occasional cat in a tree. They provide a service to the rest of us, much of the time while placing themselves in great danger.

Michelle has a friend whose husband was a firefighter. It was a couple of years after the incident with Aaron that Michelle learned her friend’s husband had died in the line of service. Shortly after hearing the news she called me. She said she had been thinking of writing a song, but the only thing she had was the title, “Heart of a Hero”. I didn’t know anything about her friend or the story behind the title, I only had a title. But I told her I would try and write something for her. An hour later I called Michelle back.

It took about 20 minutes to write the song. I didn’t have anything to go on but the title; but I got to thinking about the story I wanted to write. Could the Hero be our servicemen and women? Certainly both Michelle and I are strong supporters of our men and women in uniform. But that didn’t seem right as everyone was writing songs about the military.

Who else qualifies as a hero? Firefighters! Even before 9/11 when it became so popular to do, I would donate to local firefighter associations. It’s important to support the men who support us.

I picked up my guitar and began strumming, looking for a melody, an opening line, a visual. And it came. “She lays her daughter down, in her bed, rubs her head as she prays”. The song practically wrote itself.

It tells of two heroes. One that rushes into a burning building only to lose his life in order to save a child “just like the one he had at home”. One that has the world on her shoulders because it was her husband that died saving that child and now she has to pick up the pieces and raise their child on her own.

When I called Michelle back I played her the song. It was perfect. We were both amazed, even to this day, that what I chose to write out of that title was the actual story of what happened.

We sincerely want to help the families who have lost a loved on in the line of service, as well as all of our firefighters. That’s why we’ve created this web site and why we are selling the c.d. It’s going to be a challenge to reach our goals. But with your help, and help from others that you talk to, we will be well on our way.

We hope you enjoy the song, and you buy your copy of “Heart of a Hero”. We thank you for your support.