Today I witnessed my first Fallen Comrade Ceremony. Remember the rocket attack we had earlier in the week that killed the civilian? Turns out he was a Bosnian who was a fire fighter and working side by side with our active duty guys. Today they had the ceremony where his coffin was transferred to the airplane that would take him home to his family. There was a long procession of fire trucks and other vehicles that came out to where the plane was waiting. They lined up, forming a column that the casket was carried through. The entire fire department was also lined up on either side to watch the casket proceed. Then all the fire fighters went and made a formation behind the ramp of the airplane while four men and the chaplain went up into the belly of the aircraft with the fallen fireman and performed a small ceremony. There were several of us from the hospital who went and we lined up separately so we could pay our respects, but we were not in their “family’s” business. Then the fire department saluted as the ramp of the airplane closed. When it was over, they fell out of formation and walked away, some hugging, some had been crying, and others were stoic- not talking at all. One man told me he had trained the Bosnian over 10 years ago and they had worked, played and essentially lived together, as firemen do, for those 10 years.
I will do many more of these while I’m here. Most are in the middle of the night. All are solemn. All represent a fallen hero who is going home to his family.
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