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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAmidst his military career, Harlan also volunteered for the Russellville Rural Fire Department, an organization of community volunteers. He continued his life of service by saving and helping those in need. For about 30 years, he rescued people from fires, car wrecks, and more, becoming captain about 15 years into the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the summertime, and the fall especially, we might have two or three runs a week, and it was at our expense,\u201d Harlan recalled. \u201cWe never got paid for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years after he retired, the fire department created an annual excellence award, the Joe M. Harlan Award, testifying to the man\u2019s great heart of service and given to those who displayed a similar commitment. The department gave the award for the first time in December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turning 75 years old in 2024, Harlan still strives to serve others today. He moved to Charter Senior Living of Bowling Green with his wife in 2024. Although he no longer supports the United States Army or saves people from fires, in the words of Kubler-Ross, his position in life and what he does doesn\u2019t matter as much as how he does what he does. Even if it\u2019s just pushing other residents\u2019 wheelchairs or cheering them up, Harlan performs his actions with faithfulness, believing that encouragement and setting a good example are goals everyone should adopt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Harlan\u2019s servanthood played out in public, it also, most importantly, took place with his spouse of over 50 years. He met Linda at church in 1969 and dated her in college, marrying a year later in 1970. Together, they have three children and several grandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During their retirement, Linda was diagnosed with brain cancer. Her condition worsened around the time they moved to Bowling Green, which came as a shock to him. With joy and great love, he faithfully served the love of his life 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[I try] to keep her in good spirits, and she\u2019s getting better,\u201d said Joe, laughingly saying she still loves to sing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joe\u2019s dedication to service did not go unrecognized, as the Kentucky Senior Living Association delivered the Resident Lifetime Achievement Award to him on March 14, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like the people are recognizing the fact that we are trying to do the right thing for the right reasons,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI think it caught me by surprise – that was very nice of them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n As his daughter, Jennifer, would say \u2014 Joe continues to have a servant\u2019s heart, living as a servant leader and man of God. GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ELISABETH KUBLER-ROSS once said, \u201cAs far as service goes, it can take the form of a million things. To do service, you don\u2019t have to be a doctor working in the slums for free or become a social worker. Your position in life and what you do doesn\u2019t matter as much as how you do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":22875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/08\/1-3-1024x683.png\")
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