Deployed members reaffirm commitment at 9/11 commemoration

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- More than 200 people gathered at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's Circle of Honor memorial for the Sept. 11 commemoration ceremony here Thursday.

The ceremony began at 9:43 a.m. Eastern Standard Time - 5:43 p.m. Local - a poignant reminder of the moment a Boeing 757 crashed into the Pentagon seven years ago to the minute. 

The landscape and temperature here may provide a drastic contrast to what Americans saw and felt on that fateful day, but the faces bare the same resolve. 

"The Airmen of the 380th epitomize American spirit and resolve," Brig. Gen. H.D. Polumbo, Jr., said. "They represent Americans from every walk of life and they do that with dedication and a commitment to excellence." 

Col. Paul Murphy, vice commander for the 380th AEW, commanded the formation to "Present arms," at the first note of the National Anthem to begin the ceremony. Chaplain (Maj.) Thomas Elbert, from the chapel, followed with the invocation. 

Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Walsh, incoming 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Fire and Emergency Services chief, was the guest speaker. He is among many incoming personnel as the wing transitions into a new rotation of deployed members. 

The fire chief, like so many others, has a personal connection with the events of Sept. 11. When Sergeant Walsh was a child, his father - then a New York City firefighter - suffered a broken back due to a building collapse in the line of duty. 

"As a child I enjoyed going with my dad to his fire company, Ladder 48, in the south Bronx - aka Fort Apache the Bronx," Sergeant Walsh said. "I remember listening to the stories of their last fire, turnouts still filled with the smell of smoke; going down the fire pole was allowed, but the coke machine was off limits." 

The new member of the 380th AEW shared childhood memories of fire-department family events, "... those son and daughter moments will never be forgotten." 

As the speech continued, the audience seemed to collectively lean inward toward Fire Chief Walsh, as if they were lending support to their fellow Airman. The desert wind carried his words to the listeners, the sentiment traversing bridges, as the wing enveloped the new arrivals into their fold. 

The new fire chief explained how his father, who's firefighting career was cut short by the structural collapse, had pinned his hopes on his son carrying on the firefighting legacy. The young Joe Walsh passed his firefighting exams and was slated for an academy class. Much to his father's disappointment, he turned away from that path to join the Air Force. 

"(My father) called me (Sept. 11) and told me how glad he was I didn't take the NYC firefighting job," Sergeant Walsh said. "He got a call from two of his friends who lost contact with their sons in the towers and they feared the worst." 

Those friends lost their sons at ground zero. They were from the same academy class the young Joe Walsh walked away from so many years before. 

"The brotherhood of firefighters is endless," Sergeant Walsh said. "Unfortunately, for a large number of kids who lost there dads and moms on September 11th, 2001, those childhood memories will never be made. Rest assured, the brotherhood of firefighters will stand-in proudly in the absence of those loved ones to make a different sort of memory." 

Sergeant Walsh brought his speech to close and made way for the unveiling of a new display for the Circle of Honor. The display matches the other two cases in size and shape, the only difference is the content. 

Members from the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Structures and Fire and Emergency Services flights built the case and coordinated the display items. The display includes both a firefighter and a N.Y.C. police uniform. 

"Although we're thousands of miles from American soil, the American spirit is evident in this ceremony, in the people who made it happen, the donations of the uniforms, the new addition to the Circle of Honor and in the faces and hearts of the audience," General Polumbo said. "I am proud to stand here today with all our Airmen and Soldiers reaffirming our commitment to carry the torch - and never forget the events of September 11th, 2001." 

As the shadows from the scaled replica of the Twin Towers lengthened, the ceremony drew to a close. The "four fives" began to toll. 

Four sets of five rings was the original signal for firehouses to lower their flags to half-staff due to the death of a president or for Memorial Day. Over the years, the "four fives" came to symbolize the death of a firefighter. 

"We must never forget the tragedy and loss of seven years ago, nor the commitments we made to those who died and the families they left behind: that we will never again allow such a vicious act to be carried out against our nation, or her people," General Polumbo concluded, as the four fives were rung in a tribute to the 2,974 people who lost their lives Sept. 11, 2001.