The Legacy of Jeremy Owens
The family of Captain Jeremy Poston Owens wants to express its grati-tude
for the outstanding article in the January issue of Wrightsville Beach
Magazine (“Oh Captain. Our Captain.”). You captured the spirit of Jeremy’s
life to be kind, humble and generous, as well as his passion for his work and
this community. Wrightsville Beach and New Hanover County are fortu-nate
to have such quality journalism, engaging articles, and compassion for
community issues and support that Wrightsville Beach Magazine provides.
We are touched by the many calls and cards, and donations to
the Wrightsville Beach Volunteer Firefighters Association in honor of
Jeremy. We appreciate Oak Grove Technologies for their donation of
Marine 81, which made a reality of Jeremy’s idea for a public safety boat
that could be used by all three departments at Wrightsville Beach, the
Police Department, the Fire Department and Ocean Rescue.
We are pleased to announce that Wrightsville Beach is now a
member of the International Association of Firefighters. Jeremy and
his brother, Nathan Owens, tried numerous times to get Jeremy into
the IAFF Center of Excellence for treatment but
continued to be turned down because Wrights-ville
Beach was not a member of the association.
Thanks to the persistence of Sam Proffitt, Wrights-ville
Beach paramedic/firefighter and Ocean
Rescue lieutenant, the paperwork was finally
completed and approved.
This will allow Wrightsville Beach first respond-ers
to participate in the IAFF Center of Excellence,
a center run by medical first responders to treat
depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide prevention.
More firefighters take their own lives nationwide
every year than are killed in the line of duty. Several
states have put legislation in place to support
first-responder families whose loved one committed
suicide.
Suicide is a serious problem today and growing in
numbers. Let’s take this as a wakeup call!
Take time to listen and to show love and support
for those struggling. Your words matter.
We need to focus on suicide prevention. Remove
the stigma. Suicide is nothing to be ashamed of nor
judged. People that commit suicide are in real pain.
— Debbie Owens, Wrightsville Beach, NC
letter to the editor
Top: Portrait of Jeremy Poston Owens, August 11, 1978 - November 16, 2020. Above:
Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue captain Jeremy Owens directs a team on its next task
during the grueling Lifeguard Challenge in May 2012.
We would love to hear from you.
EMAIL: 2info@wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com MAIL: P.O. Box 1110, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity.
WBM FILE PHOTO
17
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM