GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – The 17th Training Wing hosted the annual Department of War Fallen Firefighter Memorial to honor firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty, on Goodfellow Air Force Base, March 6.
The memorial included the reading of the honorees, a wreath laying, lowering of the flags to half-staff, the firefighter’s final call and the Firefighter’s Prayer.
“Each name is more than a carving in stone; it’s a hero gone too soon, a grieving family forever changed and a community left with an aching void,” stated Chief Master Sgt. Michael Nalley, 312th Training Squadron senior enlisted leader. “These five lives were unique, full of stories, love, laughter and unbreakable bonds, but they all shared one sacred truth: service before self.”
The final call is signified by the ringing of a bell, a tradition that harks 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 who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
This year, the following firefighters were added to the memorial of over 130 DOW firefighters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty since 1941: Anthony McVey- Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia Robert Staepel- Navy Mid-Atlantic Command Gurney Edwards- Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia Robert Davis- Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia Perry Wallace- Naval Air Station Adak, Alaska