Since 1981, the Nation has honored its fire heroes during the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend held in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
2001 was the deadliest year in the history of America’s fire service. Because thousands were expected to attend this year’s tributes, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation moved the weekend events to our Nation’s Capital.
Public events began on Saturday October 5 with the Red Helmets Ride. Survivors and coworkers of the fallen firefighters participated in Family Day activities and an evening Candlelight Service concluded the day.
On Sunday, firefighters participated in a Procession of Honor, or Sea of Blue, through downtown Washington in what promised to be the single largest gathering of fire service and public safety personnel in America’s history. Honor Guard units and bagpipers lead the procession escorting the families of America’s bravest to the MCI Center, the site of the National Memorial Service.
Fire Engineering’s Editor in Chief Bill Manning concluded the Sunday’s service with the following:
Sea of Blue
We miss you, fallen heroes,
And time seems to move slower without you;
Yet through the mists of grief
We feel you still, and that is our relief:
For our hearts beat as one.
Your hearts beat within us, within the sea of blue.
Long through the day and into the night,
We turn out, leaving behind
Our fire stations and our homes
For a dangerous destination,
A clash with the unknown; but
We are poised, battle-ready, our nerves honed
With steel, and we are not alone:
Your hearts beat within us, within the sea of blue.
Our sirens are the heralds of hope-
From those in danger, never far away-
And to the helpless, they say,
“We have made a promise, a sacred trust,
As our forefathers did and as we now must
Fulfill, for we are firefighters true,
And our hearts beat as one in a sea of blue.”
As we push through the smoke,
Advance our line through the door,
As we throw ladders and
Search above the fire floor,
As we take command
And make our stand,
We are one true sea of blue.
As we drop from planes
And cut fire breaks,
As we search through the rubble,
As we do whatever it takes
To rescue those in mortal trouble,
As the sweat drips from our brows,
As our eyes meet in battle
With a recognition and resolve,
As drops of blood in tears dissolve,
As we burn with the flame of life
And reach deep down
To find the courage
And the strength to carry on,
Our hearts are one, and your hearts beat still
Within a sea of blue.
When we say “yes”
To the firefighter’s life,
When we say “yes”
To duty, honor, and sacrifice,
We are saying “yes” with you, fallen hero.
You are alive in ways that can’t be seen:
We follow our dream
In your footsteps and,
As you emptied your goodness into life’s cup,
So will we follow and raise it up-
For our hearts are one
In a sea of blue.
Across our hearts and minds
A spirit blows, throughout time, unceasing:
A virtuous spirit called “sister” and “brother”
That joins us to one another
And fills us with the power
To walk this unforgiving road
And lock arms around the helpless
In a rock-solid wall of human kindness
Between the perilous
And the imperiled.
For we are one, a sea of blue.
We are fire patriots, our flags unfurled,
A sea of blue in a circle of lifegiving
That’s everwidening
And transcendent of this world.
Your immortality sings within us
To the beat of the hearts in a sea of blue.
Let us testify, brothers and sisters,
To the families of the fallen whose love
For their heroes is deeper than the sea,
Let this be our solemn vow, our destiny:
May our fallen heroes live on
In our every act of courage,
In every deed of honor,
In every discharge of duty,
In every mark of kindness,
In every expression of compassion,
In our passion for the job,
In our every achievement,
In our every success,
In everything we do:
May you live on, fallen heroes,
In the enduring sea of blue.
–Bill Manning, Fire Engineering
October 6, 2002
Copyright 2002 by Bill Manning. No reprints without permission
