EMMITSBURG, MD – President Barack Obama led the tribute Sunday to 87 firefighters who died in the line of duty.
The capacity crowd rose to its feet and applauded as Obama made his way to stage, stopping to shake hands with fire officers nearby.
Mother Nature forced the 34th annual National Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial Service to be held indoors at Mount St. Mary’s University.
Fittingly, Obama began: “Scripture tells us, 'As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.' Employ it in serving one another. Every single day, across our country, men and women leave their homes and their families so they might save the lives of people that they’ve never met. They are good stewards -- serving their neighbors, their communities, our nation with courage, and fortitude and strength. We can never repay them fully for their sacrifices.”
The names of 84 firefighters who died in 2014 and three from previous years were added to a plaque that Obama unveiled.
The President told the families he was in awe of their loved ones.
“It’s hard to think of a more selfless profession than firefighting. There’s a reason why firefighting occupies a special place in our imaginations; why little boys and increasingly little girls say, I want to be a fireman, I want to a firefighter. They understand instinctually that there’s something special about it. Imagine what it takes to put on that heavy coat, and that helmet, and override the natural human instinct for self-preservation, and run into danger as others are running away; to literally walk through fire knowing that you might never make it out because you’re trying to save people that are strangers.”
He continued explaining why he considered it to be an honor at the ceremony. “There’s a humility that seems to be part of being a firefighter. From rural communities to inner cities, those we honor today lived a fundamental principle that binds us all as Americans -- that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, that we look out for one another, that there’s something bigger than each of us individually that we have to be true to.”
He went on to talk about how some paid the ultimate sacrifice as they were serving their communities.
“We honor men like Michael Garrett of West Virginia. Mikey, as he was known, started out as a junior firefighter at the age of 16, became an EMT by 18, was on his way to graduating with an associate degree in emergency services. His mom, Faith, says Mikey was always smiling, always a practical joker -- if you turned around, your cell phone would be in the pool. And he was always the guy you could call on in a pinch…”
Garrett, 28, was pulling a seriously injured man out of harm’s way when a cell tower came crashing down, killing him.
Garrett’s mother, Faith, said she was honored by Obama mentioning her son.
“The White House called me Thursday night and asked if what they wrote met my approval,” she said as she held tightly to a folded flag and rose. “They said the President may use it, but they didn’t promise.”
As she sat in the audience with her husband, Dale, she was stunned by Obama’s remarks about her son.
“He went into a lot more detail than I expected. It was really nice what he said. And, he was right. Mikey started the EMT class so it would finish right before his 18th birthday so he could take the test.”
He was teaching EMT when he was killed.
Obama also spoke about New Haven, Conn., Firefighter Kevin Bell, who died battling a house fire.
“Kevin was that rare combination of full-time firefighter and part-time DJ. His wife, Wayette, says that the day he graduated from the fire academy in Connecticut was one of the happiest days of his life. And he truly loved his work, and his kindness and generosity were widely known. And like so many firefighters, he never talked about his heroic actions. His daughter, Raquel, says that she would later hear from those he had helped, above and beyond the call of duty. The friend he had assisted after a car accident. The classmate he drove to the hospital after an epileptic seizure.”
He added: “Because of the role model Kevin was, there are African-American kids in his Hartford neighborhood who want to be firefighters just like him. And one day, they’ll be able to go to work in the Kevin Lamont Bell Fire Station.”
In Louisville, Ky., Malcom Jenkins, a farmer, answered the call when his community was struggling for volunteers.
“Malcolm was the “go-to-guy” in the firehouse; no task was too big or too small. Obama continued.
Jenkins rose through the ranks to major and helped establish the Kentucky Regional Fire Training Academy.
The crowd erupted into applause as Obama vowed: “…We reaffirm that, as a nation, we must work to prevent fires, and we must give firefighters the equipment and the support that they need to get the job done and to come home safe -- that’s what we owe every one of you.”
Obama reminded the families that brotherhood and sisterhood doesn’t stop at the firehouse door.
“For the families of the fallen, we know that words alone can’t ease the pain of your loss. But perhaps it helps a little bit to know that the American people stand with you in honoring your loved ones. We admire them. We cherish the work that they do. We hold you in our hearts today and always. We offer you our deepest condolences, and our prayers, and our eternal gratitude…”
Obama delivered hundreds of hugs and handshakes as the families, friends and co-workers of the fallen came forward. The crowd laughed quietly as a little boy dressed in a long brown coat and brown boots gave him a fist pump.
Rachel Hain said having that special private moment with Obama, no matter how brief, was an experience of a lifetime.
Hain’s father, Ray Hain, a St. Paul, Minn., firefighter, caught an infection while on the job, and underwent a heart transplant. He died of complications in 2009.
“He (Obama) was very supportive and told me he was sorry for my loss. I told him I appreciated his comments.”
Likewise, Carolyn Underwood, whose husband George, died in a culvert during a storm, was moved by her brief encounter.
“He said: ‘God bless you. You are in my prayers,’” she said, laughing that she got both a hug and a handshake. “George would have been so proud.”
A Houston widow was appreciative for the opportunity to meet Obama.
Ellie Groover said she was moved by his genuine, sincere conversation.
On July 9 last year, Daniel Groover was fighting a house fire when he ran out of air, and there was a structure collapse.
She said she’ll cherish the memories of the weekend events. Groover lauded her fire service escorts, Stuart Burris of Coppell, Texas, and Michael Moore, of Fairfax County, Va.
“He loved being a firefighter. He had been a paramedic for 17 years, and had gone back to fighting fires not long before he was killed.”
Teresa McDonald was surrounded by a number of her husband’s fellow firefighters this weekend.
Battalion Chief John ‘Mac’ McDonald suffered a massive heart attack while on duty at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Naval District.
She said it was a nice tribute that Obama took the time to speak with all the families.
McDonald was the former chief and a life member of Stafford Vol. Fire Dept. Colleagues say he was responsible for saving at least seven lives during his tenure.
After the ceremony, families visited the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial and viewed the plaque bearing their names of their heroes.
