The Charleston 9

Fallen firefighters honored, remembered, celebrated

By John Charles Robbins
jrobbins@journalscene.com

There is something sad yet deeply touching in the wail of fire sirens in these days so soon after Monday, June 18, 2007.
That night nine brave firefighters perished in the line of duty as a cavernous furniture store in West Ashley collapsed around them.
The tragedy that claimed their lives has forever changed the close-knit town that is Charleston, South Carolina, but it hasn't broken its spirit.
The City of Charleston, the state, and indeed the country and beyond gathered at North Charleston Coliseum on a hot Friday morning to honor the men who lost their lives.
The fallen Charleston firefighters were honored and remembered for their sacrifice, while their lives were celebrated during a two-hour memorial service.
Robert Turner, a retired U.S. Marine, planted himself at the entrance to the coliseum, standing alone and bearing a large American flag.
Turner, 47, of Mt. Pleasant, stood rigid for hours awaiting the procession of fire trucks and the waves of firefighters from across the country.
"I'm just here to show support for the guys living, and for the families who lost somebody," he said.
"I can't afford to give money but I've got time and I've got a flag. There is no place I'd rather be," said Turner.
More than 30,000 people packed the coliseum and two adjacent facilities, and spilled out onto the sidewalks and park areas in between, with large screens positioned for the people who couldn't fit inside.
Anchoring the west end of the arena floor stood nine flag-draped caskets in the row, lined in front of poster-sized photographs of the dead firefighters.
Vera Drayton, 59, stood alone at the curb outside the main entrance, clutching a poster she'd made in both hands.
"GOD BLESS all 9 of u! We love u!!!!" it said, accented with hearts and stars.
Asked why she was there, Drayton lowered her face and shook her head. "Nine lost and other firefighters got hurt," she said in a sorrowful voice.
"My heart goes out to those families. I had to come out and show I support them," she said.
Martha Williams, 50, of Summerville, and April McDougall, 37, of West Ashley, arrived early at the coliseum and had traveled alone to pay their respects.
The two women, who had never met before, soon found comfort in each other's company, waiting in the sunshine at the main entrance where two towering ladder trucks suspended a large American flag into the cloudless sky.
"I want to show my love and respect. I'm in the medical field and I know how hard this is," said Williams, a nurse.
McDougall decided to attend because her husband coached the daughter of one of the fallen firefighters. "I'm here to show respect to those families," she said.
Williams said it was important to extend care and affection to the families who lost loved ones.
"I hope to strengthen them, stand beside them and with them," said Williams.
Seemingly endless lines of men and women in uniform cradled the huge coliseum: Firefighters, police officers, postal workers, EMTs, clergymen, military officers, and flag-carrying bikers from the Lowcountry.
Aqui Caban, 58, of Charleston was there in his uniform: Faded blue jeans, a red and white striped shirt, and his frayed biker jacket bearing the emblem of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle association that has chapters in every state.
Caban rode to the memorial with his fellow riders, 25 from Charleston and another 10 from neighboring areas.
He stood at attention, alone, behind a wall of firefighters in dark dress uniforms, taking in the sights and sounds.
"It's very hard to see this after 9/11," Caban said. Monday's fire caused the single largest loss of life for firefighters since the terrorist attack on America.
Asked why it's important to hold a memorial service like Friday's, Caban said, "It's the American way of life. We try to help out and to support each other."
Fire and rescue personnel from an estimated 800 cities and towns across the nation and Canada sent representatives to the memorial service, from Boston to Seattle, Las Vegas to Miami Beach, Norfolk and Knoxville, Toronto and beyond.
Men and women, young and old, many wearing crisp dress uniforms in a dozen shades of blue, solemn yet proud faces everywhere you turn.
Fire officers from the City of New York were there as well, along with the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, stirring emotions with a powerful rendition of "Amazing Grace."
Some of the firefighters came from close by to take part, like Roosevelt Robinson Jr., 52, a senior firefighter with the City of Columbia.
His assessment of the memorial? "Everything was fine ... for an occasion like this. You never want to attend something like this," Robinson said.
He was buoyed by the outpouring of support from the community, and the thousands of people who chose to attend the service, and the thousands who lined the streets during the long procession of fire vehicles from downtown Charleston to the coliseum.
"It's like that with firefighters, people gravitate toward the fire department because we are in the community — we are part of the community. It's like one big family," said Robinson, a fireman for 15 years.
"We will never be the same," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. of the devastating event.
"I express my deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of our nine heroes — these dear nine heroes who died in the line of duty," Riley told the crowd.
"Words are an incomplete substitute for the emotions I feel in this coliseum," said South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.
Looking out into the faces of the families of the lost firefighters, the governor said, "We are so sorry. We grieve for you. We grieve with you. We lift you up in prayer."
Sanford said a tragedy of this magnitude makes us all ask, "What does it mean? Where do we go from here?"
The tragedy serves to remind us how life is precious and fleeting, he said.
"We should walk out of here committed to living," said Sanford.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff delivered a personal message of condolence from President Bush and the First Lady, along with praise for the courage and service of the lost firefighters.
"Our nation is grateful," Chertoff said on the President's behalf.
Chertoff also evoked the heroes in uniform on Sept. 11, who ran into a smoky inferno when the natural instinct is to run out.
"Those nine brave men demonstrated the same bravery that firefighters did on Sept. 11, to save complete strangers. It has been the hallmark of first responders and firefighters for centuries," said Chertoff.
Charleston Fire Chief Russell B. Thomas Jr. talked about each one of his men in such a personal way you'd think he grew up with and went to school with them all.
He offered intimate stories of these public servants who made the ultimate sacrifice, giving the crowd glimpses of their personalities, often illustrating how these men simply wanted to help others.
"The City of Charleston lost nine great people," the chief said.
He was reminded of a T-shirt he got in the fall of 2001 when a contingent of Charleston's finest went to New York to help their brothers. "All gave some and some gave all," the shirt says.
"These brave and courageous men gave it all to our community. They'd want us to go on and keep moving forward ... we should pledge to honor them," Thomas said.
With the crowd standing and the lights dimmed, the service concluded with a reading of the names of the Charleston 9: Capt. Theodore Michael Benke, Capt. William Hutchinson, Capt. Louis Mulkey, Engineer Rodney B. Baity, Engineer Mark Kelsey, Asst. Engineer Michael French, Firefighter Melvin Champaign, Firefighter James Allen Drayton, Firefighter Brandon Thompson.
Then Engineer Lance Williams of the Charleston Fire Department rang the Memorial Bell 15 times, the echo of the final ring still present as a trumpeter began to play "Taps."
There is something sad yet deeply touching in the wail of fire sirens in these days so soon after.