It’s a ride to remember so that no one forgets.
A group of Cleveland firefighters left Tuesday morning for Colorado to visit the International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial. Two Cleveland firefighters will have their names added to that memorial this week: Johnny Tetrick, killed in November of last year, and Richard Elwood, killed on the job in 1928.
Lieutenant Jake Konys, one of the people making the trip to Colorado, said, “There are wives, kids, grandparents, aunts, uncles that are all out there and they just do a great job of making sure they’re taken care of.”
This group will ride motorcycles, meeting up with other riders along the way, riding for about 6 hours every day. The goal is to arrive at the memorial on Thursday afternoon for the service.
They left as a steady drizzle fell from the sky. “You’ve got to be prepared,” firefighter Alfredo Gargano told us. “Make sure you have your raincoats, some bibs, and power through.”
This ride and the ceremony are all about honoring the bravest of the brave, celebrating heroism, and letting families know their loved ones are missed.
“This isn’t the end”, Konys told News 5. “We’re going to continue to make sure that, whether it’s through a Christmas card or a phone call, we make sure that they’re never forgotten.”
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