My father is a Jefferson Parish Fire Fighter and the worst feeling I\'ve ever felt was having to leave him behind. Hearing the President of the United States say that anyone left behind might be dead was hard to hear at the age of 15. I could only imagine the worst thing possible. My family stayed until the very last second so we could be with my dad, and the morning we left I could see the fear in his eyes. He tried to stay strong because he knew it was hard on us. He could not help but admit \"I\'m scared\". Scared for his life, scared for our safety, scared for his sanity. My mother and him stayed in contact as long as possible, but as the storm got closer (as we all remember) cellular reception got worse. Right before the storm hit the parish decided to let any off duty fire fighters leave the city. Thankfully my dad was off duty. The night hurricane Katrina hit, my dad was on the road to Tenessee to be with his family. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of a door opening. Seeing my dad\'s face was the best moment of my life. He was with us, and most importantly, he was safe. He was able to stay with us for a couple of days and then headed back to the city. He had to fullfill his duty as soon as he was called upon, and he did it well. He traveled to and from New Orleans and Chattanooga for weeks at a time. And now, every time a storm hits he has to stay. He cannot leave even if he is off duty. Just my luck, my boyfriend (future husband) is attempting to be a fire fighter. This means that it will only get harder for me every time I have to leave them both behind. I gained a new respect for my dad and for those men and women who stayed behind selflessly.