
Article and photos by Zoie Clift
A dedication ceremony for the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters‘ Memorial took place at the State Capitol grounds in Little Rock, Arkansas, on March 22.
Mike Beebe, Governor of Arkansas, speaks during the ceremony.
Lt. Ray McCormack with the Fire Department of New York was the event’s keynote speaker. “Firefighters are at the core of what is good about a society,” he said. “The willingness to do more, to go above and beyond what people expect is what firefighters are willing to do every day of the year.”
The ceremony included ringing of bells for each fallen firefighter and the laying of a rose on top of the memorial wall for each name.
The ceremony included marching of colors by bagpipers, drums and honor guard.
In front of the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial with the State Capitol in the background.
The statues are 11 feet, 6 inches high. “Old Leather Lungs” represents the origins of firefighters. “The Angel of Mercy” represents paramedic firefighters. “On the Line,” the wildland and the forestry firefighter. “Push’In” represents all of our current firefighters.
More Zoie Clift: http://zoieclift.com/