The
first time my wife, Amy, spent time around wildlife officers she was struck by
how they interacted with each other. She
referred to it as a “family.” She recognized the bond between officers. It is one of the things I miss most about the job.
Over
the next several weeks I am going to write about the family within the wildlife
family – those father/son, grandfather/grandson, and uncle/nephew combinations.
***
“The earliest
memory of my dad as a wildlife officer was when I was around three or
four years old. He was under his patrol
car in the driveway working under the front bumper. I asked him what he was doing and he showed
me the "sneaky light" he was installing. He explained he could drive out of a field and
into the road [with
the aid of the sneaky light] and a
spotlighter couldn't see him driving behind them, because the light was just
enough to barely light up the edge of the roadway.”
 |
| Joe Story with sons Joe III (No shirt) and Charles |
“I can also
remember him pulling into the driveway after working all night and me running
out to greet him and seeing a car full of guns with evidence/seizure tags on
them. I can remember him doing a lot of writing (probably case notes).”
Joe Story, III
I first met Lt. Joe Story when I applied to be a wildlife officer. My cousin and I were working at the Ford dealership at the time. He came running in one afternoon and said, “There’s a game warden here and he is asking for you.” He was excited because knew I had applied. When I transferred to District 8 in 1989, Joe was then Capt. Story.
“I
was 7 or 8 years old when I got my first violation report by telephone. My parents
had gone somewhere for the evening. The
phone rang and I answered it. The woman
on the line said she would like to report some spotlighters. I told her my dad was not there at the time,
but he would be back in a little while. She
hung up and called back at least 3 more times.
On the last call she explained that the spotlighters were snatching deer
up in airplanes and hauling them away, and that I needed to get out there
immediately. I responded, 'I'm just a kid
and can't drive.'
"I fondly
remember all of my Dad’s coworkers. They
always showed an interest in me. I can
remember them being around working on patrol cars, mounting boat motors, eating
meals with us or generally just hanging out telling stories. I remember going to some of the retired guys
houses and listening to their stories. I can also remember fishing with a lot of my
Dads coworkers. Those trips usually
ended with a fish fry."
Joe Story, III
Having
their son follow their career path is many men’s dream. For others, they hope their son choose an easier path. I recall one guy from my body shop days who said he would break his son’s fingers if he ever picked up a
wrench. I asked Joe whether his dad
encouraged or discouraged him about becoming a wildlife officer.
“His first
reaction was that I should find something that may pay a little more. But, he didn't try to steer or influence me in
any way. He let it be my decision. When
I decided that was the path I was choosing, he was behind me 100%.
"My first duty station
was Scotland County. I invited my Dad
down for a float fishing trip on the Lumber River. We were near the Sandhill
Gamelands. We discussed the "straw
dogs" as we called them [pine straw thieves] and how they had been hitting our gamelands recently. I told Dad we would check a spot when we went
to retrieve our drop- off vehicle. I
actually stated, ‘I feel Lucky.’ After loading the canoe, we checked a path on
the gamelands and noticed fresh [tire] tracks.
We called the officers working that day
and we located a fully loaded truck on gamelands. My Dad said sometimes you
have to just go with that hunch or lucky feeling."
Joe Story, III
 |
| Master Officer Joe Story, III |
But, it take more than fishing trips and stories to make a son want to emulate his father. Joe Jr. has also devoted much of his life to the Boy Scouts of American. He was the scoutmaster of Joe, II and Charles' troop, taking them to Philmont High Adventure Base in Cimarron, New Mexico. Both Joe and Charles, along with many others in that troop, went on to become Eagle Scouts. Joe, Jr. continues to serve the scouts as a lodge adviser with the Order of the Arrow and is a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award for distinguished service.
Joesph C. Story, Jr. retired as captain of District 8 in 1993. Joesph C. Story, III became a wildlife officer in 1996 and is currently stationed in Henderson County. Between the two they covered much of the North Carolina landscape serving from Bath to Murphy with several stations in between. Rounding out the family connection is Martin County officer Michael Strider, nephew of Joe, Jr. and cousin of Joe, III.
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