Saturday Spotlight: Firefighter Joseph Stukes

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the third in a series of profiles that manninglive.com will be posting each Saturday to highlight our first responders and dispatchers who keep Clarendon County a safe place to live. After each Saturday posting, the piece will appear in the following Thursday’s Manning Times. Laurence Manning Academy graduate Joseph Stukes received a bachelor's degree in business accounting from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He is now a firefighter with the Clarendon County Fire Department. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE A FIRST RESPONDER? I wanted to help others and give back to my community. WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT BEING A FIRST RESPONDER? As a first responder, you strive to help and save everyone. The hardest part is when you do everything possible to save someone and are unsuccessful. DESCRIBE A MEMORABLE MOMENT DURING YOUR SERVICE. There have been numerous memorable moments during my service. One doesn’t stick out more than the other, but knowing I contributed to someone on their worst day is fulfilling. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY. I am married to Brandee Stukes, who is a pharmacist at Colonial Family Practice. We have a son, Whit Stukes, who is a student at St. Matthias Montessori School in Summerton, and a daughter, Lawson. We are also expecting another daughter to be born Nov. 23, 2017.