Remembering Those Who Gave All - Alabama Firefighter Memorial Service - photo essay

Billy A Gafford, Jr.

City of Birmingham Fire Department

Stephen M Harbison

City of Pleasant Grove Fire Department

Steven Allen Sullivan

Nicol Fire Department

James E Wells, Jr.

City of Pelham Fire Department

These are the names of the four brothers who, in the past year, have passed on from this life to another, whether in service, or otherwise, and were honored this weekend at the 5^th Annual Alabama Firefighter Memorial Service.  The service is held every fall during Fire College Week, which was this past week.

Below are a few of the many photos I took during the morning service.  Though the honored are listed above, out of respect to the families, there are no photos of the family members shown below, only the activities pertaining to the memorial. This young woman had the voice of an angel.  She sang the Star Spangled Banner and then later, Amazing Grace.

I have only one request as you take a look at this essay.  Don't just glance at the photos and move on.  Take a moment and look at each photo, at each face below a uniformed hat. These are the men and women who put their lives on the line every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for YOU. They don't always have the option of leaving the office at the office.

These men and women fight hard, train hard and are drawn together into a brother-and-sister-hood that the photos do not even begin to describe, and to even be a tiny, tiny particle of that togetherness is something I cannot put into words.

I can only say that I am surprised at the number of photos that turned out well.  From the moment the Pipes and Drums played "Minstrel boy" through the honoring of each fallen comrade, the salute to each family, the heartbreaking silence broken only by the clear, precise ring of the bell, to the last note of taps, all I could do was cry.

And I was not alone.  There were others.

When next you see an ambulance, a fire truck, a rescue squad, a police officer - lights and sirens blaring on the way to another wreck, another house fire, another grandmother who has fallen and needs a helping hand, don't be annoyed at the traffic, at having to move out of their way, at the inconvenience they've caused you because they've blocked a lane of traffic for the safety of everyone working on the scene.

Instead, tilt your head in a silent thank you - or even a verbal one - and remember that it may be you that he or she gives his life for.