More than 3,000 family members, fire fighters and friends from across the United States and Canada gathered September 17 under sunny skies in Colorado Springs to honor 86 fire fighters whose names were added to the Wall of Honor at the 19th annual IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial observance.

As flags held by hundreds of honor guards ringing the memorial waved in the warm breeze, a single bell tolled as the name of each fallen hero was called and a flag bearing the Maltese cross of the International Association of Fire Fighters was presented by a white-gloved honor guard to each family. As the last name was read, the sound of bugles playing taps floated across the memorial grounds.

IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger addressed the families of the fallen. “Each one of our members we are honoring today engaged in a selfless act,” he said, “a profile in courage, living their commitment to protect humanity to the fullest.”

While miles away from the beautiful Colorado Springs setting the men and women of the IAFF selflessly carry out their duty in the turbulent midst of Hurricane Katrina, Schaitberger described IAFF members as “a hardy band who know the true meaning of service, duty, honor, sacrifice and commitment.

“The families gathered here in the shadow of Pike’s Peak are part of that band, and part of the IAFF family,” he continued, “from having shared a life with your own hero.”

Schaitberger encouraged the loved ones of those lost in the line of duty to always recall the glory of their good acts in the days ahead so that the very essence of their character can be celebrated every day.

“The brothers and sisters of your loved ones want you to know how much we understand and appreciate the contributions and the role each of you played so that these good men and women could – as the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. put it – ‘rise above the narrow confines of their individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.’”

In a message designed for the family members, Schaitberger stressed the significance of their part in the lives of the 86 members of the IAFF whose names were engraved on the wall of the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial forever. “The support you have given your fire fighter may not seem significant, but I know it was a magnificent mixture of daily triumphs and occasional difficulties that every human relationship endures and overcomes,” he said. “Without you, the character of these heroes might not have been fully realized, their courage in the face of great danger might have faltered, their awesome determination to ‘do what they must’ could have been overwhelmed by doubt. But because of you, none of that happened. You were their rock, their inspiration, their joy. And I am sure that they cherished each moment with you as if it might never come again.”

The 90-minute ceremony celebrated the heroism of the men and women who gave their own lives so others might live through music and song provided by a local choir. More than 500 members of the IAFF Honor Guard from across the Unites States and Canadian provinces played pipes and drums and carried flags and axes to honor their fallen brothers and sisters in the long-standing tradition of the fire service.

Before and after the observance, family members and fire fighters gently touched the names of their fallen heroes engraved in the polished granite walls under the statue of a fire fighter carrying a baby down a ladder to safety. Some used pencils to trace the names on paper. Flowers, photos and other bits and pieces of memorabilia that gave personal meaning and tribute to the lives lost were taped to the walls or placed carefully on the ground along their base in the shadow of Pikes Peak.

Click here for new On-Line Store for IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial