As veterans gather to celebrate a special day with family and friends, memories of serving and building familiar bonds with fellow soldiers come to mind.
Now discharged, the job of putting civilians’ safety first never fully abandons them as they begin new careers, and it remains a truth for two veterans who decided to become volunteer firefighters to continue their desire to help people.
“I am pretty sure you’ll find a lot of former military members in the fire service, paramedic, or law enforcement,” said the captain of the West Manchester Township Fire Department, Greg Chandler. “There is just a certain group of people; it’s just what they do.”
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A young man from Wisconsin
Chandler was a rough kid growing up in Wisconsin alongside his siblings.
“My mom and dad got a divorce,” said Chandler. “You come from a broken family, things just don’t go right.”
He got into fights, had friends in the wrong crowd, and always got in trouble.
One day during his junior year of high school, he was given an ultimatum. Spend the summer with the local sheriff or join the Marines. He chose the latter.
“It was like God struck you down,” Chandler laughed. “They broke us down and turned us into young hard-charging Marines. They changed my life around. I don’t regret it.”
As a young Marine at 19 years old, Chandler was driving along Highway 24 near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune when he saw a car crash that changed his life forever.
He discovered another young Marine lying in the street following the accident caused by drinking and driving. He waited there until the rescue squad and emergency personnel arrived on the scene.
“I actually saw myself lying there, and I really couldn’t do too much except stand there until someone else could render aid,” said Chandler. “That kind of stuck with me, and I knew I wanted to do something different with my life to make a difference.”
After witnessing the car crash scene, Chandler decided to change his career path in the U.S. Marine Corps and joined the fire service in 1982 just three years after he enlisted in boot camp.
“Before joining the fire service, I was always drinking and partying. That was a wakeup call right there,” Chandler said.
He started his military career working in heavy equipment mechanics but transitioned to crash-fire rescue within the U.S. Marine Corps.
Now at age 61, Chandler is retired from the military. He served for 20 years as an active-duty Marine, where he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He also served a year and a half in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
“In the military, you have some good days and bad days, but you have more good days,” Chandler said.
While witnessing the car crash scene was the catalyst for Chandler to work in fire services, it was not the only reason. When he was a young boy, Chandler’s uncle was a firefighter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I remember after church, my aunt would take us down to the fire station, and we would have lunch with my uncle and the rest of his crew,” said Chandler. “I enjoyed running around the fire station and climbing on the fire trucks. I always looked up to my uncle as a mentor in the fire service.”
No matter how many years have passed since his discharge from the Marines, he still holds on dearly to the lessons and behaviors he learned alongside his fellow soldiers.
“You can’t go wrong (with the lessons),” Chandler said, “And it shows.”
He was still in the Marines when he came across Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, after marrying his second wife, another Marine. Though they divorced, he grew to love central Pennsylvania as he raised his children.
Since joining the West Manchester Township Fire Department in 2007, he considers York his home away from Wisconsin.
Christopher Mann: “Always keep your integrity”
For Christopher Mann, the life of a soldier was not much of a stranger to him.
His grandparents served in the military, and his stepfather served 19 years as a deep sea diver for the Navy. The training his stepfather received as a soldier lingered into his home.
Mann and his siblings had room inspections every morning and always practiced their manners.
After he graduated from West York Area High School, his stepfather gave him an ultimatum.
“He told me you either stay home, you don’t join the Navy and pay rent,” said Mann, “or you leave on the date you are set to leave and I’ll see you at boot camp graduation.”
And just like that, Mann was off to Great Lakes, Illinois to attend boot camp.
He completed three deployment tours in three-and-a-half years, including two tours off the Gulf of Africa for anti-piracy operations, and one in the Mediterranean Sea for ballistic missile defense. He attained the rank of Engineman Second Class Petty Officer before he was honorably discharged in 2012.
“One of the lessons that I learned while serving is to always keep your integrity and have the respect of your team,” said Mann. “Once I was out and on the civilian side, that lesson remained true. Be who you are and not become something you are not.”
Four years after his discharge from the Navy, Mann’s younger twin brothers, who work in emergency services, referred him to West Manchester Township Fire Department to volunteer on the weekends.
“Instead of sitting here on my phone or Xbox for a couple of hours a night, I’d rather go down to the fire station and hang out with the other people there and do a little bit of training,” Mann said.
Mann works as a tech at the Starbucks Roasting plant in Manchester throughout the week and volunteers at the fire department whenever he is needed. Since his honorable discharge, he’s applied his skills from the military to his new passion as a firefighter.
From the military to the fire department
A new career path is sometimes difficult to get the hang of right away, but Chandler and Mann easily slid into their new roles as firefighters.
Both men enjoy the brotherhood and camaraderie that the fire service offers, as it’s something they grew accustomed to while in the military.
“You have to be disciplined just like in the Navy, and you have to dedicate your time to the training,” said Mann. “If you don’t train, you’re not going to get better.”
Chandler is currently a captain of the West Manchester Township Fire Department, while Mann is a driver/operator.
Teamwork and leadership are two important skills enforced by the military service that has translated to the fire service for Chandler and Mann.
“As a leader, it is your job to know your men and women,” said Chandler. “You have to know them like you would know your own kids. What you pour into your team is how they will react when they become leaders.”
Those interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter can visit https://westmanchesterfirefighter.org/.
Katia Parks covers public safety issues for the York Daily Record. Please feel free to reach her at KParks@ydr.com. Follow her on Facebook (@Katia Parks), Twitter (@parksphoto), and Instagram (@katia.l.parks).
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: These 2 veterans used military skills to be volunteer firefighters