The deadline for the 2006 Chief of the Year nominations was this past week, and it's been interesting to read the letters detailing the nominees' accomplishments.

Every year I look for the common thread or strength among the nominees that makes these particular men and women stand out enough to be put forward by their peers. While I have my thoughts about who will win, the ultimate decision rests with our editorial advisory board.

This past week I read Jim Vesterman's "From Wharton to War," which complemented my pursuit for a common thread among fire service leaders. The story is from Fortune's June 12, 2006, issue.

Vesterman, a 31-year old businessman, was set to begin his MBA at Wharton. However, he had always wanted to join the military, specifically the Marine Corps' elite special ops unit called Force Recon, so he deferred his admission and joined the Marines. The article chronicle Vesterman's boot camp experience, following him through Infantry School and Amphibious Reconnaissance School. You truly understand his journey to achieve his goals and the lessons he learns.

Besides making me jealous that I couldn't join the Marines a long time ago, the article reinforces how much management styles have changed in both the business world and the fire service. It also reminded me of an e-mail I received from Higginson, Ark.

The e-mail was from 18 members of the Higginson Volunteer Fire Department who wanted to nominate Chief Marvin E. Mathis for our Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Award.

According to their e-mail, Mathis had served the department for only three years, but in that time the ISO rating rose from 7 to 5 in the city and 9 to 5 in the district. Mathis has implemented a training program for firefighters to become certified, acquired better equipment and improved the water supply. It also sounds like he has instituted a fitness program that the firefighters say "we have not wanted to do, but the training has helped ... with physical endurance."

The final sentence of the e-mail is what best summed up why they wanted their chief to be a nominee: "Our department has more trust in the fire chief and fellow firefighters since he has pushed us this far."

Unfortunately, according to our award criteria, nominations must come from state or national associations or organizations, so I had to write back to let these firefighters know about the rules for the award. In any case, it sounds like Higginson already has a winner.

In Fortune, Vesterman writes, "Our platoon commander would often quote Kipling to describe the Marines: 'The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.'" It makes you think, doesn't it?