[Student Reporters] Pride Of The Foothills

Karren Lee / <12th, Glendale HS>

It was Thanksgiving Day, and Bruce Lamarche was standing over the magnificent smelling turkey his wife had prepared. At the mature and wise age of fifty two, Bruce Lamarche knew just having his family seated around the table deserved so much thanks.

Just as Lamarche was getting ready to carve the turkey, his pager went off. Bruce Lamarche wasn‘t a doctor, or even a business man, but many couldn’t name his occupation as normal. Lamarche was the team leader of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue. At the familiar sound of his pager, Lamarche had an instant feeling of hesitation as he knew he would have to part with his family, but Lamarche also realized rescuing a victim was one in itself.

That night, the victim that was missing happened to be a child of seven years old. He knew, that turkey couldn‘t even compare to the two second look Lamarche received, as he returned the lost child to his mother. No words were necessary, all her gratitude had been spoken. The satisfaction of bringing a child home was all he needed, Lamarche believed it saved not only the child, but the whole family.

On Thursday August 13th at 7:00 P.M., the civilians of Glendora had the amazing opportunity to listen and learn from experiences that thirty one year Search and Rescue veteran, Bruce Lamarche, was willing to share. As Lamarche descriptively explained the role of the twenty five member volunteer team, the audience could only ponder how lucky our city was to have such brave soldiers.

Many cities are blessed to have different qualities that make each individual one extremely special. In the case of our small town Glendora, we have our Foothills. Hiking trails, and back packing routes are hidden treasures, that only long time residents of Glendora are familiar with.

But beauty always comes with a price, a price that challenges the non-profit Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team. There is on average, sixty operations that the Search and Rescue team is faced with each year, and many of which are extremely difficult. On average, about 100 persons go missing due to wilderness related happenings, but because of the SMSR, the percentage of found hikers and back packers are at an all time high in our city, no doubt.

As summer is approaching to an end, the temperature is cooling down little by little each day. Swimming and staying inside air-conditioned buildings are becoming worn out, and the want of doing activities outside is rising. Many civilians of Glendora then result to one conclusion: Hiking. Hiking up to the top of the Foothills provides beautiful scenery, and an amazing work out, yet also introduces numerous dangers. Bruce Lamarche made sure not to excuse the audience before his tips were told, for he knew disappearances could be prevented with the right knowledge.

“My friends and I were planning on going on a hike last week, and when I asked my mom for permission she said no,” Celia Lee, 17 , stated. “At first I was really upset and didn’t understand, but now I know she just wanted to protect me”

As the gathering was coming to a close, the audience gave such a long, intimate applause to Bruce Lamarche. We understood how honorable the men and women who are apart of the team really are. We understood how dangerous their operations were, yet it never was due to the want of credit or heroism, but simply saving lives. The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, is the brave team pulling America forward, the applause should never be halted.