11/03/2025
"THE HEROES OF HURRICANE HARVEY
The water was rising faster than I’d ever seen. Streets that once had curbs were now murky rivers, swallowing cars and creeping up toward rooftops. People were wading through waist-deep water, holding onto anything that could float.
I was on my uncle’s fishing boat, helping pull people from the flood, when I spotted him—a soldier, fully dressed in his camo uniform, trudging through the water with a woman clinging to his shoulder. In his other arm, he cradled a tiny baby wrapped in a soaked pink blanket.
The mother looked terrified, her face streaked with rain and tears. The baby wasn’t crying, just staring up at the gray sky, barely moving.
“Over here!” I shouted, steering the boat toward them.
The soldier didn’t hesitate—he pushed forward, the water nearly at his chest, until he reached the boat’s edge. My cousin reached out, grabbing the baby first, wrapping her in a dry jacket. The mother scrambled in next, shaking from the cold.
The soldier took one last step, then collapsed into the boat, exhausted. I could hear his breathing—deep, heavy, like he’d just run miles. He didn’t say a word. He just looked at the mother, then at the baby, and let out a breath of relief.
I wanted to ask him his name, but before I could, he sat up straight and scanned the water.
“There’s more people,” he muttered. Then, just like that, he pushed himself up, ready to jump back into the flood.
I grabbed his arm. “You sure, man?”
He gave me a look—one I’ll never forget. Determined. Tired. But not stopping.
Then he 🔽"