Kendall County EMS paramedic Pete Macias on military medicine, compassionate care, and answering the call
For Kendall County EMS paramedic Pedro “Pete” Macias, some of the most important moments in emergency medicine begin when a patient is frightened, vulnerable, and unable to advocate for himself.
During a recent call involving a patient with developmental disabilities, Macias and his partner, Jennifer Harris, had to safely care for and transport a patient in crisis. The situation required clinical judgment, patience, and an approach tailored to the patient’s individual needs.
While Macias managed the medical side of the call, Harris sat on the floor and colored with the patient for about 20 minutes. Her presence helped calm him and create a safer environment during a stressful encounter.
“The compassion, caring for people, it’s not in a textbook,” Macias said. “You need to have those people skills to reach out and understand where they’re coming from.”
The response earned public recognition and a letter of commendation from Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, who praised the patience, empathy, and professionalism demonstrated during the call.
Macias was reluctant to accept personal credit, but he welcomed the attention it brought to emergency medical services.
“We need that recognition,” he said. “EMS needs that.”
Macias’s path into medicine began more than 20 years ago. Born in Argentina to American parents working overseas, he spent much of his childhood moving between countries before his family settled in Texas.
Macias enlisted in the Army National Guard as a health care specialist, the official title then used for the military occupational specialty better known throughout the Army as a combat medic. Although the title emphasized health care, the job meant being prepared to practice medicine wherever soldiers needed him, including on deployment.
That experience became the foundation of a career spanning 21 years of military service and civilian medicine. Macias remains a staff sergeant in the Texas Army National Guard and is pursuing a commission.
“I got my civilian-acquired skills from my military service,” he said. “I liked the idea of working on the ambulance and being a first responder. That’s what drew me to emergency medicine.”
Macias joined Kendall County EMS because of its reputation as a service dedicated specifically to emergency medicine. He was equally drawn to Boerne and the relationships that come with serving a close-knit community.
“I fell in love with the small-town vibe of this place,” he said. “I got fixated on this idea: I’m going to move my family out here.”
Those relationships make the work meaningful, but they can also make difficult calls more personal. In a small community, responders may be called to the home of a friend or care for someone they regularly see around town.
“We see people on their worst days,” Macias said. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to do something that’s in your best interest to help you out.”
Macias believes strong medical knowledge is essential, but it must be accompanied by compassion and the ability to connect with people.
“You can be the super-smart medic who knows all the things,” he said. “But if you don’t have the people skills, it’s just for nothing.”
“You can be the super-smart medic who knows all the things. But if you don’t have the people skills, it’s just for nothing.”
Macias first encountered Hope for Heroes Texas about three years ago through its community lunches and support programs. He appreciates the organization’s efforts to give first responders and their spouses time away from the demands of the profession.
“It’s a nice break for that person and his wife to just get away from everything,” he said. “It’s great, and I’m sure it goes underappreciated.”
For Macias, that support also reminds the public that EMS professionals prepare each day to step into situations most people hope never to face.
“If it’s just a job to you, I don’t think you would survive in the environment,” he said. “Those who have done it for a long time are passionate about it.”
Message from Brad Cornell
“Pete represents the courage, compassion, and humility we see throughout Kendall County EMS,” said Brad Cornell, founder of Hope for Heroes Texas. “He brings decades of military and medical experience into every call, but he also understands that saving a life begins with seeing the person who needs help. Hope for Heroes Texas is proud to stand behind Pete, Jennifer, and all the EMS professionals who answer when our community needs them most.”
From the October 2026 issue of The Kendall Gentleman.
Pete Macias’s story continues The Kendall Gentleman’s Hope for Heroes Texas series, alongside Grounded in What Matters and Hope for Heroes: Serving the Community He Calls Home. For more from this issue, read Jed Mazour’s The Call of the Wild.