4-year-old Justin Perez may be young, but he's already experienced a battle against a force of nature.

This past weekend, his strength and bravery were rewarded by a visit to the McAllen Fire Department, where he got to meet his heroes and was made Chief for a Day.

KRGV recently shared Justin's story, and it was really touching because I wanted to be a firefighter too when I was his age. I grew up near the Troy Volunteer Fire Department, and was fascinated watching the volunteers working on the trucks and equipment.

I think most kids dream of being a firefighter at some point, so it's beautiful to see a great kid get to live that dream for a day.

Justin's big day came courtesy of Make-A-Wish Rio Grande Valley and the McAllen Fire Department.

When McAllen Fire Chief Jim Schultz heard that Justin wanted to be a firefighter, he decided that wasn't enough. Instead, Justin was going to be made chief for a day!

That wasn't all, though. Justin was escorted by a McAllen honor guard, honored by a pipes and drums troop from Pharr, and treated to a helicopter ride courtesy of state troopers.



Check out the video report from KRGV. I see Deadpool and Captain Marvel there too. Folks really went the extra mile to make sure Justin's day was epic.

There's so much doom and gloom going on in the news right now, and when I saw this story, it reminded me that there's still so much good out there - so much kindness and decency.

I hope we all take the opportunity to be kind as often as it presents itself. Kindness costs nothing and you could change the trajectory of someone's entire life with a nice gesture.

If you want to be a part of making wishes come true for kids battling illnesses, check out the volunteer opportunities with the Central and South Texas Chapter of Make-A-Wish.

Ten Weird World Records Set in Texas

10 Reasons Han Solo is Basically a Texan in Space

If you ask most people who their favorite Star Wars character is, the odds of them naming anyone other than Han Solo are approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one.

The loveable space pirate is pure swagger, and when you stop to think about it, he's probably the closest thing to a Texan out there in that galaxy far, far away.

Let's take a look at 10 reasons Han Solo would fit right in here in the Lone Star State.

 

More From KSSM-FM