Ladies and gents,
I would like to share a special story with you. It is brief, but it is shared with much respect.
A while back Kevin McHarg, our Canadian Ambassador for HeroToHero.US, advised me that he was going to be presenting our program to firefighters in Newbury, Ontario, Canada.
Now Kevin does numerous presentations on our behalf, but this was the first time that he called on the way home to tell me about a specific person. Kevin met Bubba!
It was great to listen to him go on about this larger than life guy, that he had just met.
He said this guy was the real deal, that without hesitation Bubba had run out to his car to make sure he had a shirt to replace the one he was about to give off his back. I think if Kevin could have cloned Bubba, there'd be big warm smiles all over Canada, getting all the shirts he could.
Kevin talked about how outgoing, warm, and sincere this guy was, and told me I absolutely had to meet him when we come back to Canada on the next tour, and I looked forward to it!
Sadly, I will never meet Bubba. Our new friend was involved in a fatal car accident.
Kevin's voice choked when he next called to tell the news of the loss of one of our firefighter heroes. This connection was instant and personal, and the loss hit hard. And this was to someone who had only met him once. There was no question that his department must be heartbroken.
We all bow our heads and say a prayer for Bubba, and those who knew and loved him. His shirt will be sent to a Canadian troop in the next PackOut. Hopefully it will come back full circle, with the words of a deployed troop added to Bubba's.
The following is from Kevin, and Bubba's Chief in Newbury.
Liz,
On November 15th, 2007. I attended a meeting of the Fire Chiefs from Middlesex County in Newbury Ontario. I attended as the guest speaker on behalf of the HeroToHero.US program. The meeting was being hosted by the Newbury Fire Dept. at their local Legion.
I arrived a half hour early for the meeting to find members of the Newbury F.D. setting up the room for the meeting. 
Before the meeting even began Bubba had his shirt off, signed and layed out on a table for others to sign. He kept saying " I can't believe i've never heard about this program". He thought it was awesome.
As Chiefs arrived he met them and told them about HeroToHero.US and he kept saying "I can't believe I haven't heard about this before!" If he said it once he said it 10 times. I just laughed. He was making my job real easy and it's such a nice feeling when someone "GETS IT" the way Bubba did.
He was genuinely excited about participating in this program.
Bubba asked me if his shirt would fit a soldier. It was 3XL. My reply was that soldiers come in all sizes too. He signed it "Bubba Lee ... one of the big boys".
Sadly, Lee (Bubba) Lawrence was tragically killed in a car accident on December 2nd. 2007. The Newbury Fire Dept. lost an invaluable member and HeroToHero.US lost a friend.
My sincere condolences go out to Lee's family, friends and members of the Newbury Fire Dept. Although I only met Lee for a few hours, I will never forget the big man with the big heart.
The man who looked like he could snap you in half if he wanted to but had a tattoo of his mom on one forearm and his dad on the other.
Kevin
***
Hello Kevin
I thought I would send the Eulogy that I read at Bubba Lee’s Funeral Service.
We are here today to celebrate the life of Bubbalee Lawrence. First I want to wish the family all the strength to stick together
Through this difficult time, Bubbalee … such a short time he had with us, yet I have enough memories to last a lifetime.
He was the nicest man you’d ever want to know. He’d do anything for any one… at anytime!
A few weeks back he literally gave the shirt off his back for a charity called HeroToHero.US This is just one small example of the kind of man Lee was.
I’m definitely going to miss coming home and seeing Bubba sitting at my kitchen table , where he often was. For a while, he’d come over on Wednesday nights to watch America’s Next Top Model with my wife Debbie and my stepdaughter Alisha.
Bubba called it " Girls Night " He loved coming over and hanging out with Jason, just to relax, play X-Box and have a few beers. Lee very much cared about his friends and the relationships he had with those his loved.
Another love of Bubba’s was the Fire Department. Bubba joined the Newbury on April 23 2005. At that time I didn’t know him but he marched right in with a big smile, and a million questions about the department and was eager to learn . In fact Lee never missed a meeting in his entire department career. Our department holds a breakfast once a month . Lee’s first breakfast he was named the "Toast Wench".
That’s what all the firemen have to do at their first breakfast. Luckily, with all Bubba’s charm he quickly conned Lindsey Degraw into doing the toast -- and also because she was the next one to join the department.
Lee always pushed the other Members into getting involved and was always bugging me to get more stuff! His most recent desire was getting more Members to get there DZ license . He went door to door getting members to sign up. We sure will miss his positive attitude, dedication and his big smiling face around the department.
Lee’s motto was to make the best of everyday, and to accept the things you can’t change and that’s what he always did.
Always a smiling face willing to lend a helping hand and always around when you needed someone the most.
I’m sure each and every one of you will remember Lee for your own reasons, experiences and memories. But if there is one thing each of us can agree on, it’s the fact that Lee was a rare man in this day and age .The most selfless, loving guy and the best friend anyone could ever ask for … With a lot of tattoos!
So if I could say one last thing to Lee Lawrence . I would like to thank him for leaving me with many great memories, sometimes teaching me a thing or two and for setting the example that it’s okay to be who you are and wear it proudly!
Because that’s what he always did ! We’ll miss you big guy!
Fire Chief
Newbury Ontario.
God bless you Bubba. Watch over those who miss you most. We need more with your heart!
lj
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