Since June of 2011, or roughly the past 15 months, a large group of fire service leaders have been working tirelessly to raise $720,000 to build a proper place for Minnesota’s Fallen Firefighters to be honored. Since 1881, 207 firefighters have died in the line of duty and the only memorial was a lone sculpture in the baggage claim area of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Not a great place, in my mind, to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others.
Well, long story short, the goal was reached, a fantastic memorial was built that incorporates the original sculpture as it’s centerpiece. A ceremony to dedicate the Memorial and honor the 207 fallen firefighters took place on September 30th.
This video is a brief summary of the whole process…
It was a great day, and a sacred place has now been created to pay tribute to those who gave so much and a place for their families and friends to gather and celebrate their lives.
