Firefighters Remember "Fallen Heroes"

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)“Today is the day that Washington, DC Firefighters set aside to remember fallen heroes, and to pray that no one else will ever have to die for us again,” said Fire Fighters Local 36 President Ed Smith Tuesday at the annual observance of Firefighter Memorial Day. “Today we will read the names of the 99 firefighters who have died in the line of duty, protecting the citizens, workers, and visitors to our Nation’s Capital. With each name we read aloud today, a multitude of stories will remain silent.  If we could we would hear the stories of the families who lost a loved one, stories of firefighters who still grieve, and stories of what could have been.  I pray that in some small way our actions here today would bring comfort to those who are still grieving.  May we all be so inspired by the lives they lived and the sacrifices that they have made that we reaffirm our commitment to be the best firefighters in the nation.” 
-photo by Elliot Goodman, Local 36 IAFF