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WELCOME TO THE FIRST EVER HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, HONOR GUARD GRADUATION.
I CAN'T STRESS WHAT THIS MEANS TO NOT ONLY MYSELF, ASSISTANT COMMANDER CARLOS PASQUALE, UH, AS WELL AS OUR MEMBERS, BUT TO THE FAMILIES THAT ARE ALSO IN ATTENDANCE.
UM, AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA ASK THAT EVERYONE PLEASE STAND AS WE HAVE PRESENTATION OF THE COLORS AND RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, IN LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL ORDER.
ARMS READY, FACE READY, STEP READY, PLEASE.
AT THIS TIME YOU MAY TAKE YOUR SEATS.
I WILL NOW ASK HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHAPLAIN RICK POE TO COME UP.
LORD, I JUST THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY.
I THANK YOU FOR A CITY THAT RECOGNIZES THE VALUE THAT THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES.
I THANK YOU FOR A MAYOR THAT SUPPORTS US IN A WAY THAT IS SO INSTRUMENTAL.
I THANK YOU FOR A COMMAND STAFF THAT GIVES US EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO DO THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE FATHER AND LORD, NOT ONLY TODAY AS THESE MEMBERS GRADUATE FROM THE HONOR GUARD ACADEMY, BUT IN THE DAYS TO COME AND IN THE FUTURE, FATHER MAY THEY ALWAYS KNOW THAT THE LEGACIES THAT THEY LIVE AND THE HONORS THAT THEY PROVIDE TOUCH SO MANY LIVES.
AND WE THANK YOU FOR THAT LORD, AS THEY ARE BODY BEARERS, MAY THEY NEVER BEAR THE BURDEN, BUT ALWAYS KNOW THAT THEY CARRY THE LEGACIES OF THOSE THAT HAVE GONE BEHIND US CURRENTLY SERVING TODAY AND THE FUTURE GENERATION OF HOUSTON, FIREFIGHTERS OF TOMORROW.
LORD, WE LOVE YOU AND WE HONOR YOU, AND YOU PRAY THIS IN YOUR HOLY NAME.
SO AGAIN, THANKS AGAIN FOR COMING TODAY.
I'M THE HONOR GUARD COMMANDER FOR THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT'S INVALUABLE WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE STAND FOR, AND WHAT WE PRACTICE.
I'VE PUT TOGETHER A SPEECH AND BEFORE I GET INTO IT, I'D LIKE TO FIRST THANK COUNCILMAN JULIAN RAMIREZ AND THE REST OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE TODAY IN ATTENDANCE.
IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US AS WELL, AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT TO OUR FIRE CHIEF, CHIEF THOMAS MUNOZ, AND THE REST OF THE COMMAND STAFF.
AGAIN, FOR ALL THIS SUPPORT, I WILL BE THE FIRST TO SAY THAT NONE OF THIS WILL BE POSSIBLE HERE TODAY WITHOUT OUR FIRE CHIEF THOMAS MUNOZ.
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THIS EVENT WAS HIS IDEA AND FOR HIM TO WANNA RECOGNIZE US THE WAY THAT HE DOES, THERE ARE NO WORDS THAT I COULD PUT TOGETHER FOR THAT.SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME AS I RECITE MY SPEECH ONCE AGAIN.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE FIRST EVER HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, HONOR GUARD GRADUATION FOR NEWLY RECRUITED MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS OSCAR PRAZA AND I'M THE HFD HONOR GUARD COMMANDER.
I WANNA SAY THAT I'M HONORED AND MORE THAN PROUD TO BE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU ALL TODAY AS WE BEGIN THIS NEW TRADITION IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT OUR HONOR GUARD.
I WANT TO EXPLAIN WHERE WE'VE COME FROM TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
IN 1985, ROGER D. ANDERSON OF HFD NOTICED OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN BLUE.
HPD HAD CONSTITUTED A WAY TO HONOR THEIR FALLEN AND HE WANTED TO DO THE SAME.
SO ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 1985, RIGHT HERE IN THIS SAME BUILDING UNDER THEN FIRE CHIEF ROBERT CLAYTON AND MAYOR KATHY WHITMEYER ROGER, ALONG WITH SOME OTHER HFD MEMBERS, COMPELLED CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE FORMATION OF VET POST 74 WITH MOTION NUMBER 85 DASH 30 95.
HONOR GUARD OFFICIALLY BECAME AN OPERATIONAL NEED.
IT WASN'T UNTIL 1992 UNDER FIRE CHIEF EDDIE CORRAL AND THEN MAYOR BOB LANIER.
THE NAME WAS OFFICIALLY CHANGED TO HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT HONOR GUARD FROM THEIR AM HATS WHITE SHOULDER CORDS WITH WHITE ASCOT AND PISTOL BELTS TO THE UNIFORMS YOU SEE US WEARING TODAY.
WE BEGAN TO NOT ONLY HONOR OUR FALLEN BY PROVIDING HONORS AT FUNERALS, BUT WE BEGAN TO PERFORM VARIOUS FUNCTIONS AT VARIOUS DETAILS LIKE MAYOR'S, INAUGURATIONS, MARCHING AND PARADES, AND VARIOUS OTHER CITY EVENTS AND FUNCTIONS.
TODAY WITH CLOSE TO NEARLY 4,000 ACTIVE MEMBERS IN OUR DEPARTMENT AND CLOSE TO 3,700 RETIREES, OUR HONOR GUARD ALONE SERVICES, NEARLY 8,000 MEMBERS LAST YEAR ALONE, OUR UNIT PRESENTED HONORS TO 97 FAMILIES OF OUR FALLEN, WHICH INCLUDES ALL LEVELS OF FUNERALS.
NOT TO MENTION THE 50 TO 60 OTHER DETAILS THAT ARE NOT FUNERAL RELATED.
THESE EIGHT MEMBERS THAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU TODAY, WHO WE ARE ABOUT TO WELCOME INTO THIS ELITE UNIT, WHICH SETS THE STANDARD ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WILL HELP MAKE UP 21 TOTAL ACTIVE HONOR GUARD MEMBERS FOR THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
LET ME SAY, THIS IS A VOLUNTEER UNIT, AGAIN, I'LL EXPLAIN.
THESE MEMBERS OF VARIOUS RANKS ARE SPREAD THROUGHOUT OUR DEPARTMENT.
MOST MEMBERS ARE IN SUPPRESSION WORKING AT DIFFERENT STATIONS ON DIFFERENT SHIFTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SOME ASSIGNED TO AREAS LIKE E-M-S-O-E-C AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
SOME OF THEM ARE HFD VOLUNTEERS AND HAVE OTHER FULL-TIME JOBS.
THEY DO THIS ON TOP OF THEIR OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES TO PUT ON AN HFD PATCH TO BE PART OF A WORLD CLASS FIRE DEPARTMENT ALREADY ALONE SETS YOU IN A CLASS ABOVE THE REST.
BUT TO PUT THE WORDS, HONOR GUARD ABOVE THAT PATCH, WELL, ME PERSONALLY, I KNOW NO HIGHER HONOR, THESE MEMBERS ARE INTERVIEWED, THEY'RE PUT THROUGH VIGOROUS TRAINING, AND THEY'RE REQUIRED TO FULFILL AT LEAST 20 HOURS OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING BEFORE ACTUALLY BEING OFFERED AN OFFICIAL SPOT ON OUR UNIT.
BUT YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO BE A SPECIAL PERSON TO DO WHAT WE DO.
WE CAN TRAIN ALL DAY LONG ON HOW TO MARCH, PERFORM FACING MOVEMENTS AND RENDER A SALUTE.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, YOU CAN'T TEACH.
YOU CAN'T TEACH PASSION AND YOU CANNOT TEACH THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT COMES ALONG WITH HONORING A FALLEN MEMBER.
WHETHER A FALLEN IS LOST IN THE LINE OF DUTY OUTSIDE OF WORK, BUT IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OR DOES 20, 30 OR 40 YEARS OF SERVICE AND RETIRES, NO MATTER YOUR RANK OR HOW MANY FIRES YOU'VE FOUGHT, THE HONOR GUARD WILL ALWAYS BE THERE.
YOU GET ONE FUNERAL, ONE OPPORTUNITY.
OUR FAMILIES ENDURE THE MISSED HOLIDAYS BEING HELD OVER AT THE STATION, MISSED CHRISTMASES, ANNIVERSARIES, KIDS, FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL, AND ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THE FAMILY.
OUR PERFORMANCE HAS TO BE PERFECT.
SO, AS I EXPLAINED WHEN WE BEGAN THE CEREMONY, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME OUR DEPARTMENT'S HISTORY THAT THIS HAS EVER BEEN DONE.
BUT I WANNA MENTION JUST A FEW, SEVERAL MORE MONUMENTAL FIRSTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE THIS YEAR IN OUR DEPARTMENT FOR THE HONOR GUARD.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, MYSELF, ALONG WITH ASSISTANT HONOR GUARD COMMANDER CARLOS PASQUALE, WERE MOVED FROM SUPPRESSION AND ATTACHED TO THE COMMAND STAFF.
THIS WAS AN IMMENSE AND SIGNIFICANT MOVE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE AND MANAGED THE HONOR GUARDS EVERYDAY OPERATIONAL NEEDS FOR SUCH A LARGE DEPARTMENT.
THE HONOR GUARD WILL ALSO BE HOSTING ITS FIRST EVER HONOR GUARD ACADEMY THAT IS OPEN TO ALL FIRST RESPONDERS
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ACROSS THE COUNTRY HERE.MEMBERS FROM OTHER HONOR GUARDS WILL BE TAUGHT HFDS WAY OF PERFORMING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FUNERALS, AS WELL AS OTHER FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY OUR HONOR GUARD.
ENROLLMENT IS CURRENTLY GOING ON AND THE CLASS STARTS IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR.
I'M ALSO PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST EVER OF ITS KIND IN THE NATION, A CUSTOMIZED FUNERAL COACH.
THIS IS THE APPARATUS THAT IS PARKED OUT FRONT ON DISPLAY THAT YOU MAY VIEW ONCE WE ARE DONE HERE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL REFURBISHED FIRE TRUCKS AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT HFD IS THE FIRST EVER TO HAVE ONE CUSTOMIZED TO CARRY A CASKET TO HONOR OUR FALLEN.
NO OTHER DEPARTMENT IN THE NATION HAS ONE LIKE THIS.
WE'RE ANXIOUSLY AWAITING TO BRING IT TO ITS NEW HOME AS THE HONOR GUARD WILL SOON HAVE ITS OWN BUILDING.
AS COMMANDER OF THE HONOR GUARD, I TRY TO STAND BY THIS QUOTE, TRUE LEADERSHIP LIES IN GUIDING OTHERS TO SUCCESS AND ENSURING THAT EVERYONE IS PERFORMING AT THEIR BEST, DOING THE WORK THEY'RE PLEDGED TO DO AND DOING IT WELL.
I CAN STAND BY THE FACT THAT NONE OF THIS IS EVEN CONSIDERED MUCH LESS POSSIBLE WITHOUT OUR COMPASSIONATE, ATTENTIVE, AND MOST OF ALL, SUPPORTIVE FIRE CHIEF THOMAS MUNOZ.
SINCE HE CAME IN AND ASSUMED THE ROLE OF FIRE CHIEF, HE HAS STOOD TRUE TO STANDING HIS GROUND AND BRINGING THIS DEPARTMENT BACK TO A WORLD CLASS FIRE DEPARTMENT.
HE HAS MORE THAN DONE SO FOR OUR HONOR GUARD, BUT OF COURSE, A TRUE LEADER DOES NOT COME WITHOUT HAVING A TRUE MENTOR.
MAYOR WHITMEYER, IN YOUR ABSENCE, I DON'T KNOW YOU VERY WELL, MAYBE SOMEDAY SOON THAT'LL CHANGE.
BUT FROM YOUR ACTIONS, NOT JUST YOUR WORDS, I CAN HONESTLY SAY YOU ARE A TRUE EXAMPLE.
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO AND THE IMPACT YOU HAVE ACROSS ALL FIRST RESPONDERS AND THEIR DEPARTMENTS.
YOU DO IT WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT.
IT GIVES US HOPE AND IT MAKES US THAT MUCH EASIER TO CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE DO.
AS I TELL OUR MEMBERS, YOU JOIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND YOU PUT THAT PATCH ON, THERE'S GONNA BE TOUGH DAYS AHEAD OF YOU.
BUT AS YOU JOIN THIS HONOR GUARD AND YOU DEAL WITH THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT CAN HAPPEN FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT, NOT ONLY WITH YOUR, YOUR COMRADE THAT'S WORKING NEXT TO YOU AS WELL AS YOUR FAMILY AT HOME, BUT WHEN YOU PUT THAT PATCH ON, ALWAYS REMEMBER WHY YOU BEGAN TO DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE COUNCILMAN JULIAN RAMIREZ.
WELL, THANK YOU COMMANDER AND GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
I'M A HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AT LARGE POSITION NUMBER ONE.
I'M HERE IN, UH, THE PLACE OF MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER.
UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER HAS A LOT OF OBLIGATIONS, AS I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE.
HE WOULD LOVE TO BE HERE, BUT HE'S NOT ABLE TO AND HE'S ASKED ME TO APPEAR, UH, IN HIS PLACE AND I'M HONORED TO DO SO.
I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE AS WELL OF MY COLLEAGUES THIS MORNING.
COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER IS HERE, AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE SERVE BECAUSE WE LOVE THIS CITY AND WE LOVE OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
AND YOU KNOW THAT THE MAYOR LOVES HIS FIREFIGHTERS AS WELL.
I I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UH, IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO WATCH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT HONOR GUARD THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT YOU ALL SHOWCASE, REALLY GETS PEOPLE'S ATTENTION AND DEMONSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OCCASIONS, THE, THE, THE FUNERALS AND OTHER EVENTS AT WHICH, UH, YOU, YOU ARE PRESENT.
AND, UM, IT REALLY SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE EVENTS AND THESE, THESE FOLKS WHO, THAT WE, THAT WE HONOR.
AND SO, UM, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE MOST RECENT GRADUATES, UH, AND UH, FOLKS WHO WILL JOIN THE HONOR GUARD.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU REPRESENT OUR CITY AND REPRESENT OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE FUTURE.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE EFFORTS THAT YOU PUT FORWARD.
AS WAS MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU NOT ONLY HAVE THE, THE, THE NORMAL DUTIES OF A FIREFIGHTER, BUT YOU DONATE ADDITIONAL TIME ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT TO TRAIN, TO DRILL AND TO APPEAR, UH, AT THESE OCCASIONS AND DEMONSTRATE HOW IMPORTANT, UM, THESE PEOPLE ARE TO OUR CITY.
AND SO THANK YOU AND UH, THANK YOU ALL ON BEHALF OF MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER.
MR. MAYOR CONSULATE ON BEHALF OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, I GIVE YOU THIS, UH, APPRECIATION THAT
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YOU SUPPORT US AND STUFF LIKE THAT.ON BEHALF OF MAYOR WHITMEYER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND THIS READS MAYOR WHITMEYER ON BEHALF OF HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, HONOR GUARD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
I WILL RECEIVE THIS FOR HIM AND MAKE SURE THAT HE GETS IT.
AND ONE MORE, THEN YOU BECOME NOW, UH, HONORARY HONOR BACK.
AT THIS TIME, ONCE AGAIN, THE REAL REASON WHY WE ARE HERE.
I'D LIKE TO CALL UP HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE CHIEF THOMAS MUNOZ.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR US.
UH, I THINK I SEE MORE OF YOU THAN I DO MY OWN FAMILY, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HARD WORK ON BEHALF OF THE MAYOR.
AND HE TRULY MEANS THAT TALKING TO HIM, HE DEFINITELY APPRECIATES ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION.
BUT FOR MYSELF AND THE COMMAND STAFF, JUST KNOW THE VALUE, THE TRADITIONS THAT YOU BRING TO THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE DEDICATION, THE LEGACIES, AND AGAIN, THE DIGNITY.
THAT'S WHEN I SEE YOU ALL AT FUNERALS.
IT'S A GOOD FEELING, RIGHT? AND I MEAN THIS, LET ME FINISH THAT, THAT OUR MEMBERS ARE REMEMBERED THE PROPER WAY.
SO IT'S JUST MORE THAN MOTIONS.
IT'S THE EMOTIONS THAT YOU SHOW TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
AND THIS WAS DEFINITELY WHEN I GOT INTO, WHEN I WAS BLESSED TO BE ANNOUNCED BY THE MAYOR AND APPROVED BY COUNSEL.
THIS WAS WHAT I THINK THE FIRST WEEK I MET WITH BOTH.
UH, AND I'LL JUST GO WITH FIRST NAMES CARLOS AND OSCAR, 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY MEAN TO ME BROTHERS, BECAUSE WAS A EASY DECISION.
AND IT WAS TO KEEP I TRADITIONAL ALIVE, DIGNITY.
AS A MILITARY PERSON, I'VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THE HONOR GUARD.
AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS BRING THAT BACK.
WE TALK ABOUT WORLD CLASS, WE TALK ABOUT THE SUPPORT OUR MEMBERS NEED.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO TO SUPPORT YOU.
I MEAN, THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF FUNERALS, EVENTS THAT YOU GO TO FROM DIGNITARIES TO WORLD CLASS EVENTS TO BEING THERE FOR FAMILIES UNDER WAR, STAY.
AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU THAT TALKING TO PEOPLE WHEN YOU'RE THERE AND MEETING WITH THE FAMILIES PERSONALLY, I NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU DO IS A LASTING IMPRESSION ON THAT MEMBER, ON THAT FAMILY.
YOU LOOK AT THE BADGE, WHAT WE HOLD, THE PATCH THAT WE WORK SO HARD FOR.
AND IF YOU REMEMBER, COMMANDER MENTIONED THE BADGE.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT BADGE, IT'S OVER YOUR HEART.
THIS DEPARTMENT, YOU DO THE FULL CIRCLE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT FROM THE DAY WE GRADUATE TO OUR FINAL DAY IN EARTH, THE HONOR GUARD IS THERE.
AND I GET EMOTIONAL BECAUSE I SEE IT FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END.
AND I APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING EMOTIONAL, BUT I'VE BEEN THROUGH MILITARY FUNERALS, DIGNITARIES.
BUT ONE THING THAT IS A CONSTANT IS THE HONOR GUARD.
WE START WITH DIGNITY AND WITH DIGNITY.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT THE WORK YOU DO,
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THE LOVE THAT YOU DO.AND WE'RE BLESSED THAT WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE HAVE A MAYOR THAT SUPPORTS AND RESPECTS AND HONORS THE TRADITION THAT WE DO.
AND TO THE FAMILY MEMBERS KNOW THAT WHEN YOU SEE YOUR LOVED ONE WEARING THAT BADGE, THAT PATCH, IT SIGNIFIES DIGNITY, HONOR, RESPECT, TRADITION.
IT SIGNIFIES WHO THE USE OF FIRE DEPARTMENT IS.
SO REMEMBER THAT, THAT IT'S MORE THAN JUST A PATCH.
AND DON'T THINK FOR A SECOND WHEN I'M SITTING THERE WATCHING Y'ALL, IT'S A COMFORT TO ME THAT ON MY LAST DAY ON EARTH YOU'LL BE THERE.
IT'S A COMFORT TO ME THAT MY FAMILY WILL SEE WHAT I LOVED AND WHY I LOVED IT SO MUCH.
BUT I KNOW THAT MY CHILDREN, MY GRANDCHILDREN, WOULD SEE WHAT I GOT UP FOR EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, EVERY CAREER, EVERY DAY, THEY WILL KNOW.
AND IT'S THANKS TO YOU COMMANDERS, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO MY ATTENTION.
I REMEMBER SEEING CARLOS LIKE, MAN, WHO IS THIS GUY? RIGHT? I'VE KNOWN FROM THE PAST, BUT THAT WAS AN EASY ONE.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE DEDICATION.
AND HE SAID THE FIRST EVER, THE FIRST EVER HONOR GUARD.
AND WE HAVE TO BRAG NOT TO STEAL, BUT WE HAVE A FIRST EVER.
AS OF WHAT YOU DO AND DON'T THINK PEOPLE DON'T NOTICE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 22 YEARS, WE HAVE A ONE YEAR WAITING PERIOD FOR PEOPLE TO GET INTO THIS HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ASK 'CAUSE OF WHAT THEY SEE.
SO I LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU ALL FAMILIES.
BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO IN EACH AND EVERY DAY AND WHAT THE DIGNITY AND THE RESPECT AND THE TRADITION THAT YOU BRING.
HOW MUCH IS THIS GONNA COST ME? CARLOS
I KNOW CHIEF FOR LONG TIME OVER ALMOST THREE DECADES, STUFF LIKE THAT.
BUT ON BEHALF OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, UNDER GOD GIVE YOU THIS TO YOU, THANK YOU.
ALL THAT STUFF THEY HAVE DONE, JUST LIKE THE MAYOR AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WE LOVE YOU AND KEEP ON DOING.
LIKE YOU THE MAYOR SAYS, LE, LET'S GO TO WORK.
WE GOTTA GO TO WORK, RIGHT?
I GUESS THEY HAVE PAPERWORK, RIGHT?
COMMAND STAFF, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO.
TRUE LEADERSHIP, MEANINGFUL, POWERFUL WORDS.
SO WE MOVE ON TO THE REAL REASON WHY WE ARE HERE.
I WILL NOW ASK THE EIGHT MEMBERS, THE EIGHT NEWLY RECRUITED HONOR GUARD MEMBERS TO PLEASE STAND THE FIRST HONOR GUARD MEMBER THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND WELCOME TO THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
HONOR GUARD IS CHRISTINE REGAS.
CHRISTINE REGAS IS A DISTRICT CHIEF AT SEVENTIES ON THE DELTA SHIFT AND HAS 31 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I'M ASKING HIM CAN WE CLAP? THE NEXT MEMBER THAT WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME IS DAVID HOWARD.
DAVID HOWARD IS A CAPTAIN WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AT FIRE STATION 90 ON THE B BRAVO SHIFT AND HAS 29 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AM I ALLOWED TO PHOTO BOMB OR YEAH.
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RA RECINOS RA RECINOS IS A FIREFIGHTER EMT AT FIRE STATION 75 ON THE B BRAVO SHIFT AND HAS NINE YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.NEXT IS MEMBER JACOB DE LA GARZA.
UNFORTUNATELY, HE CANNOT BE PRESENT WITH US TODAY, SO STEPPING IN TO RECEIVE HIS CERTIFICATE IS RETIRED HONOR GUARD MEMBER.
NEXT MEMBER TO BE WELCOME TO THE HONOR GUARD IS ELENA TORRES.
ELENA TORRES IS ASSIGNED TO FIRE STATION 69 ON THE B BRAVO SHIFT AND AS A TOTAL OF THREE YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IKA IVORY IS A FIREFIGHTER EMT AT FIRE STATION 55 ON THE A SHIFT AND HAS A TOTAL OF TWO YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO BEFORE I RECOGNIZE THE NEXT TWO GENTLEMEN, I JUST WANNA START OUT BY SAYING OUR UNIT AGAIN IS A VOLUNTEER UNIT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
THE WAY THE HONOR GUARD AND THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT RECRUITED WAS ONLY WITH CLASSIFIED MEMBERS.
THE NEXT TWO MEMBERS DEFINE THE DEFINITION OF VOLUNTEER.
THESE MEMBERS ARE MEMBERS OF OUR HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, THEY WORK FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS OUTSIDE SIDE.
BEING A MEMBER OF THE HFD VOLUNTEERS, WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT PASSED UNDER THE LAST ADMINISTRATION FOR THESE VOLUNTEERS TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE AND HONOR OUR FALLEN.
THESE TWO ARE THE TRUE MEANING OF VOLUNTEER.
THE FIRST MEMBER AS MEMBER RICK MONTANA.
RICK MONTANA IS A MEMBER OF THE WEST LA WESTLAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND HAS A TOTAL OF 29 YEARS OF FIRE SERVICE.
AND THE LAST MEMBER TO RECOGNIZE TODAY, THIS GUY HAS TRULY SET A STANDARD ABOVE THE REST IN HIS SHORT TIME WITH THE HONOR GUARD WE ARE HERE TO RECOGNIZE AND WELCOME MEMBER MICHAEL BODAK.
HE IS A MEMBER OF THE JACIN JACINTO CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT AND HAS A TOTAL OF 43 YEARS OF FIRE SERVICE.
WE HAVE A SPECIAL HONOREE TODAY WITH, ALONG WITH WELCOMING OUR NEWEST ADIS MEMBERS.
WE WANNA RECOGNIZE SOMEONE THAT IS VERY SPECIAL TO THE HONOR GUARD.
THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN WITH THE HONOR GUARD FOR A LONG TIME.
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SHE WORKS BEHIND THE SCENES AND DOES THINGS, AND SHE'S AT PLACES THAT MYSELF AND CARLOS CANNOT BE AT.SHE TAKES THE INITIATIVE IN DOING WHAT SHE DOES AND SETTING THAT STANDARD VERY HIGH.
I WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL HONOREE RECOGNITION AWARD TO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC VICKI LEY.
WELL, THIS IS A LITTLE NEW ENVELOPE FOR THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT,
AND ON BEHALF OF THE, UH, MAYOR AND CITY, CITY PRI, WE GIVE YOU THIS LITTLE CHALLENGE GOING REPRESENT THE CITY.
SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE THAT'S HERE.
WELL ALONG, ALONG WITH MANY FIRST, THAT IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER HEARD VICKI SPEAK PUBLICLY.
SO BEFORE WE CLOSE TODAY, UH, I WANNA RECOGNIZE SOME, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE IN ATTENDANCE.
AND LIKE VICKI SAID, YES, AS A UNIT, IT TAKES EVERYONE ALL ON OUR UNIT TO DO WHAT WE DO.
WE ARE AN EXTENSION OF EACH OTHER.
SO I WANNA RECOGNIZE SEVERAL DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE HERE TODAY THAT UNFORTUNATELY, BUT FORTUNATELY WE WORK WITH.
AND THESE ARE MEMBERS FROM THE SURROUNDING AND LOCAL FUNERAL HOMES THAT HAVE NOT ONLY BECOME FRIENDS, THEY'VE BECOME FAMILY.
I WANNA FIRST START WITH TOM LARMAN AND GEORGE BRASSEL FROM KLEIN.
THESE GENTLEMEN GO BEYOND THE WORD OF SERVICE WHEN IT COMES TO HELPING, HONORING OUR FALLEN.
AND YOU GUYS HAVE SET A STANDARD ALONE THAT AGAIN, NOT MANY PEOPLE CAN FOLLOW.
AND WE THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE FOR US AND OUR MEMBERS.
AND IN THAT SAME NOTE, WE WANNA RECOGNIZE JORGE CORTE AND JANAE.
SHE'S, THEY'RE HERE FROM FOREST PARK LAWNDALE.
WORDS CAN'T PUT IT INTO, INTO EFFECT WHAT YOU GUYS MEAN TO US AND WE TRULY MEAN THAT.
AGAIN, YOU HAVE BECOME PART OF OUR FAMILY AND WE CAN'T EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE ENOUGH.
THERE'S A FEW OTHER MEMBERS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW PRETTY WELL, UH, SINCE CARLOS AND I HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED DOWNTOWN AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE THEM.
MATTER OF FACT, I'VE SEEN ONE OR TWO OF THEM, BUT I DON'T SEE 'EM IN THE CROWD ANYMORE.
BUT DEBORAH SCOTT, CHIEF'S CIVILIAN SECRETARY WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN THERE A LONG TIME.
AS WELL AS DANA KLEIN, JENNIFER SIGNS AND JODY BRANCH.
THEY DESERVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE THINGS THEY DO BEHIND THE SCENES FOR US.
I COULD SIT HERE ALL DAY AND TALK AND THANK AND RECOGNIZE PEOPLE, BUT IT TRULY MEANS A LOT THAT YOU ARE HERE TO ENJOY AND SHARE THIS WITH US AND OUR NEWLY RECRUITED MEMBERS.
ONE LAST THING I WANT TO TOUCH ON BEFORE I STOP TALKING.
SHE KNOWS I'M LONG-WINDED AT TIMES.
WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT OUR FAMILIES.
I STRESSED BEFORE, EARLIER IN MY SPEECH THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY AFTER WE'RE GONE, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE LEFT.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE ALSO SACRIFICING.
WHEN WE GO TO WORK, WHEN WE GO TO A DETAIL, WHEN WE'RE TRAVELING ACROSS THE STATE, WHEN WE'RE GOING ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO RECOGNIZE OUR LINE OF DUTY DEATHS, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE TAKING CARE OF THE HOUSE.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE TAKING CARE OF OUR CHILDREN.
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IT WITHOUT YOU AND WE TRULY MEAN THAT.AT THIS TIME, ALL NEW RECRUITS.
PLEASE STAND ALL NEW HONOR GUARD MEMBERS ATTEND.
AND THE WORDS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS MAYOR, LET'S GO TO WORK.
IF WE COULD GET ALL NEW MEMBERS OVER HERE TO THE SIDE, GET A PHOTO OP WITH EVERYONE, PLEASE.