Hello everyone. It is never easy to start your article with a line of duty death (LODD) notice but this is the case. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Rodney L. Heard, St. Louis City Fire Department. This is our first LODD in Missouri for 2021. As of June 30, the US Fire Administration has listed 50 LODD names for 2021 and we are just halfway through the year. Rodney will of course be receiving honors in the 2022 services.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 service was virtual and we have 3 LODD names from 2019 that will receive their honors during our 2021 service. For 2020 we have 8 LODD names receiving honors which includes some catch-up from previous years that awaited formal determination. Our October 9th and 10th services will honor 11-LODD names, their families, and their departments plus the 2020 names of those who served and passed.
Reminder to “Save the Date” for the 2021 Candlelight Service Saturday evening October 9th at 9:00 p.m. and the Sunday Morning Service October 10th at 10:30 a.m.
Planning for both services, gathering of the required information to be presented and the logistical organization continues. The timing of this article for submission just missed our next scheduled Foundation meeting so be watching for more details in the next magazine release in mid-September. We are still planning for a live stream of the Sunday morning service.
If you have driven by the memorial in the past 8-weeks, you have seen the flags that were placed along the hillside in early May and in advance of Flag Day. Gail Hagans has taken over the Foundation Flag Program from Dr. Ron Baker who retired from the board in January 2021. Also, the shelter house is fully complete and the four picnic tables are arriving in mid-July.
We can announce the Foundation is back to a full 15-members. During the May FFAM Board meeting, William “Bill” Albus was appointed to the vacant position of Dr. Baker. Bill has been actively involved with the candlelight and Sunday morning services from their very beginning, actually back to the 1997 groundbreaking, and has a long history of tireless support to the Foundation. More to follow on Bill Albus by a formal introduction in the next magazine.
The new LODD support trailer with a custom-designed scaffolding system for casket-to-hose bed assistance should be in service by the time you are reading this article. We all however hope it will never be needed for the intended purpose but history continues to suggest otherwise.
About the memorial grounds, we have been remiss in not previously recognizing the Village of Kingdom City in providing all of the mowing and fertilizer applications up to the museum building. You can easily see the new grass line right now between the adjoining sites. While the Foundation has attended to the balance of this work around the Museum, the City has taken care of the primary lawn work including the added expense of two annual fertilizer and weeding applications for the past several years. We are very blessed to have this outstanding and highly supportive partner working lock-step with your Foundation on this and many other levels.
I hope you were able to review the brief history of The Funeral Assistance Team in the last article and what Brain and his team continue to deliver both within the State and beyond. Their work is the most visible part of the Foundation other than the site itself. The training provided to this 55 member team continues to fly under the general public radar because of how they manage dozens of very important details. They do so very quietly and very deeply in the background of the process to keep the primary focus, emphasis, and honors on those who have served and passed. So much goes on outside of public view for the greater good and honoring of those who served their respective communities and passed on.
Thank you for your time and especially your support. Talk with you again in 60-days.
FFAM
