An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 25, 2013

Texas Guard member gives back even more as volunteer firefighter

By Laura Lopez Texas Military Forces

CAMP BOWIE, Texas - The numerous men and women who serve their country and communities go by many names; fathers mothers, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters- and to some, heroes. The Training Center Garrison Command"s camp manager and officer-in-charge at Camp Bowie, in Brownwood, Texas, is a 19-year veteran in the Texas Army National Guard, and proud to call himself a Citizen-
Soldier.

Lt. Col. Jamey Creek of Buffalo Gap is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the 9,000-acre site in west-central Texas, which is managed by the Texas Army National Guard. His duties include ensuring mobilization and unit-training requirements are met year round for the more than 25,000 men and women that make up the Texas Military Forces.

After events leading up to a yearlong deployment to Iraq between 2004 and 2005, Creek decided he would 'pay it forward."

"It kind of stemmed from a mobilization, as I was not happy with the training that was provided to us, " said Creek. "So when I mobilized and came back home, I actually volunteered at Fort Hood for a year to help them train outgoing troops before the job [camp manager and officer-in-charge] here became available. At that time, I felt it was a continuation of giving back to the troops and [it was] my destiny."

Those who know Creek were not surprised to hear he is a soldier and have also said his service extends beyond the uniform and into his community.

He also serves as a level-one volunteer firefighter with the Buffalo Gap Volunteer Fire Department, north of Brownwood.

"Jamey is a family man, a leader in the community and a loyal friend," said Fire Chief Dana Sowell of the Buffalo Gap Volunteer Fire Department. "He is always ready to help those in need and often spends extra time at the station to work on equipment."

He joined the department four years ago after learning about large fires across the state and realizing there was a need for firefighters. Creek said he did not hesitate to make the call to join the 17-member department, adding that his skills and experience from the Texas Army National Guard easily translated into his volunteer role.

"Firefighting is very similar to a tactical mission," Creek said. "I can literally apply a five-paragraph operations order in place of a wildland fire briefing and vice-versa. Although, the leadership aspects are somewhat consistent in the training center world to that of firefighting, there is absolutely no substitute for the 'down and dirty" experience gained on each fire."

As a level-one firefighter, Creek has been trained to respond to structure and brush fires, automobile wrecks, extraction and medical calls, and is required to be proficient on all equipment owned by the department. While initially concerned for his safety and their family unit, his wife of 20 years, Kimberly, says she is fully supportive of her husband"s desire to give back to others.

"There is a sacrifice that our family has to make in order for Jamey to do his job and serve on the volunteer fire department," she said. "We understand the importance of serving others and we do our best to make this all work out."

Receiving his Army commission in 1993, as a second lieutenant through Tarleton State University"s Reserve Officers" Training Corps program, in Stephenville, Creek proudly admitted that being able to serve as a Citizen-Soldier and a firefighter is an incredible opportunity.

"I am absolutely honored to serve the citizens of my community and work alongside such incredible people," he said. "I can honestly say there is no better heartfelt satisfaction than serving a person in need."

Humble in demeanor and honored to call Brownwood and the west-central Texas region home, the term "hero" is a thought that does not normally cross his mind.

"I don't consider myself as a hometown hero at all," he said. "I look at my contribution as 'paying it forward" to the time in which my friends or family may need emergency assistance."

However, his wife disagreed.

"We are extremely proud of Jamey"s service to our country and his willingness to serve our community and think he is a hero, our hero," said Kimberly Creek.

Creek, his wife and one daughter have lived in Buffalo Gap for 12 years.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...