GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Five military firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty were memorialized at the annual Department of Defense Fallen Firefighter Memorial, April 22.
The ceremony included multiple speakers, the firefighter’s prayer, a lowering of the flags to half staff, and the firefighters’ final call. The final call is signified by the ringing of a bell, harking back to the earliest days of firefighting tradition, where a bell is rung to signify the beginning and end of a call. The ceremonial bell is rung five times as a send off to the firefighters that laid down their lives on the line of duty.
Col. Matthew Reilman, 17th Training Wing commander, and Master Sgt. Kristopher Jaime, 312th Training Squadron fire suppression section chief, spoke on the importance of first responders and the vital role fire protection training plays throughout the wing.
“The firefighters we train at Goodfellow are out there saving lives every day,” said Reilman “We prepare our students to be ready, day one, providing exceptional fire prevention and safety services across every corner at the Department of Defense.”
17th TRW has been training firefighting professionals since 1993. Since then, Louis F. Garland DoD Fire Academy has graduated more than 60,000 students from basic and advanced fire training courses.
Jaime recalled a quote from Susan Diane Murphree at the end of his address, “Firefighters never die, they just burn forever in the hearts of the people whose lives they saved.”
The following firefighters were memorialized:
Airman 2nd Class Craig Carver
Firefighter Gregory Jackson
Firefighter Angela Chadwick
Firefighter Dwain Bradshaw
Staff Sgt. Logan Young