10/09/2026
ANSWERING THE CALL. 🇺🇸
This morning, I had the privilege of gathering with a group of Parker Oil & Propane drivers in Emporia, Virginia, as they prepared to answer a call for help hundreds of miles from home.
These men are headed to Jacksonville, Florida, where they’ll await assignments from personnel coordinating relief efforts in communities affected by Hurricane Isaias. Their mission is to provide fuel to essential operations, including pharmacies relying on generators to keep their doors open and continue serving people in need.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of a fuel truck until the lights go out, the generators start running, and entire communities find themselves depending on the next delivery.
But what strikes me most this morning isn’t the distance these men will travel or even the importance of the work they’ll be doing.
It’s what they’re willing to leave behind to do it.
Their families will still be home. Their responsibilities, their worries, and whatever challenges they’re facing in their own lives won’t disappear simply because they’ve answered someone else’s call for help.
Those things will still be waiting when they return.
Yet here they are, willing to put their own lives on hold for a little while because somewhere else, somebody needs them.
Having spent nearly twenty years in the military and law enforcement, and having participated in humanitarian relief efforts myself, I’ve seen firsthand what moments like these mean to people who have lost so much.
When I left law enforcement, I worried that I might be leaving behind the opportunity to serve others. But this morning reminded me that a servant’s heart isn’t defined by the uniform someone wears or the profession they choose.
Sometimes, it looks like a man climbing into the cab of a fuel truck.
I’m incredibly proud to be associated with a company that recognizes the value of service, both here at home and wherever the need may arise. And I’m even prouder of the men who put those values into action.
This morning, we shared breakfast, fellowship, and a prayer before their departure. I wanted to be there to shake their hands, look them in the eyes, and thank them for what they’re preparing to do.
To our drivers: Your willingness to answer this call speaks volumes about your character and the kind of people who make Parker Oil & Propane what it is.
May God watch over you, protect your families while you’re away, bless the work you’re setting out to accomplish, and bring each of you safely home.
Godspeed, gentlemen. We’re proud of you. 🇺🇸
Charles “Charlie” Brown
Territory Sales Representative
Parker Oil & Propane
South Hill, Virginia
Delivering a Lot More Than Fuel.
