Sitting in his truck near the Iraqi border, Mike Miller broke down and cried.

Normally not an emotional man, the tears were as surprising to him as they would be to those who knew him.

There are moments in everyone's life that are more memorable, more riven with emotion. In Miller's case those moments just happened to be lived out in the glare of the world's spotlight.

'We buried more than 50 Iraqis,' one says

As told to Annalise Klingbeil

George Connon
George Connon, 61, went to Kuwait with Calgary-based Safety Boss Inc. as a wellhead specialist in February 1991. He was promoted to crew chief and became responsible for the safety of the crews. Today, he continues to do projects for Safety Boss. His career, running close to four decades, has taken him to wells around the world.

Michael J. Miller O.C., 58, started at age 13 on his path to becoming an world-renowned oilfield firefighter by washing the fire truck and sweeping up the shop at his father's Drayton Valley business, Safety Boss. Mr. Miller spent thirteen years with the Banff-Aquitane Companies followed by four years with Mobil in Libya with work in various international destinations before purchasing Safety Boss from his father. Mr. Miller now runs the firm from a Calgary headquarters after a lengthy period of international operations following a 200-day firefighting campaign at the end of the 1991 Gulf War, when his team brought 180 blazing wells under control.