Copyright 2006 Capital City Press
All Rights Reserved
By SONYA KIMBRELL
The Advocate (Louisiana)
Michael and Matthew Ard were 14 and 13, respectively, when their father died 21 years ago.
Saturday was a reunion of sorts for the brothers as they walked alongside a color guard to accept a plaque in memory of their father, Zachary Fire Chief Michael E. Ard.
Chief Ard died Oct. 23, 1984, in a traffic accident en route to a call.
“Of course you never forget. It still hurts,” said Matthew Ard after the dedication ceremony for the Louisiana State Fallen Firefighters and 9-11 memorials on the grounds of the state Department of Public Safety.
Matthew Ard of Zachary followed in his father’s footsteps and is a firefighter with LSU and a volunteer with the Zachary Fire Department. Michael Ard is a welder who now lives in Texarkana, Ark.
“When you grow up around firefighting, you’re either going to do it or you’re not. Firefighters are family,” Michael Ard said.
On Saturday, firefighters from around Louisiana as well as friends, family and supporters gathered for the ceremony that dedicated the memorial that’s been in the works for three years.
The memorial to firefighters includes a wall of honor with the names of 42 Louisiana firefighters killed while in service, a statue of a firefighter and a call bell. The memorial to 9-11 victims commemorates the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Three Louisianans died in those attacks; two at the Pentagon and one in the World Trade Center.
V.J. Bella, former state fire marshal, spoke to the crowd gathered outside the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
He echoed the Ards’ sentiments that firefighters and their families are a close-knit group, an extended family.
“This is what it’s all about,” Bella said as he looked out into the crowd and pointed to several people he recognized.
Bella said his aspirations for the memorial are that it will serve as a place for reflection and remembrance, not just for firefighters who die in the line of duty.
Louisiana has 21,000 firefighters - 6,000 paid and 15,000 volunteers. An average of one firefighter dies per year. “This memorial represents every firefighter, past and future,” Bella said.
Guest speaker Cathy Hedrick added that ceremonies such as Saturday’s aren’t just for families of fallen firefighters. Hedrick, whose son died in the line of duty, is a member of the National Fallen Firefighters Association.
She said being part of the firefighting community can be a “sometimes long, difficult and painful journey.”
“Sometimes I would think, ‘Why another service?’” Hedrick said.
Then she said she realized that the ceremonies and dedications weren’t just for her.
“I realized that it’s a way for the community to show their support, and sometimes it’s the only opportunity for firefighters to grieve,” Hedrick said.
The ceremony included a color guard, a parade of fire apparatus, fire service honor guards and bagpipe bands as well as other musical performances.
The event was hosted by the Louisiana State Firemen’s Association, the Louisiana Fire Chief’s Association, the Professional Firefighters of Louisiana and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
“This means a lot,” Matthew Ard said. “It’s an honor.”