Courtesy photo
Duvall firefighters hold “designer” T-shirts to send to soldiers. From left: David Burke, Cara Burrow, David Hollingsworth, Rodney Mausshardt, Pete Greenstreet and Todd Light. Front: Paul Kingham.

Duvall Fire Department gives, and is blessed in return

After hearing about a morale boosting program for American soldiers, Chief John Lambert of the Duvall Fire Department was eager to participate. What he didn’t know at the time was that his own department would be blessed in return.

A wife of a Duvall firefighter heard about a program called “Hero to Hero Morale Campaign,” a grass roots effort started by Liz Jackson of Lakewood, Washington. As the anniversary of 9/11 neared, Jackson wanted to show support to the men and women serving in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan by asking “heroes” here to give the shirt off their back, literally, to a soldier. According to their Web site, “Hero to Hero is Firefighters, Law Enforcement and First Responders across America giving the shirts off their back for your deployed troops. No politics! No pro or anti war! Strictly morale for our deployed troops and their families!”

And so the journey began last summer. The Firefighter’s Association provided T-shirts for the project, which were signed, and included appropriate supportive comments. The shirts were then mailed to three local soldiers, each serving in Iraq: SPC Trebor Gillie, SGT Camien Benes, and Cedarcrest High School’s Music Director, SSG Ryan Lewis, currently on military leave. Both Gillie and Benes are back home now.

Although SSG Lewis returned home during Thanksgiving (for two weeks of R&R), he is now back in Baghdad to complete his tour with the 448 Civil Affairs Battalion from Fort Lewis, Wash.

Lewis stated in correspondence, “I thought, well, we can’t wear these shirts here because we are to be in uniform 100 % of the time, and surely the other people on Camp Liberty deserve the recognition and support that we are given. As well, the true meaning of this ‘gift of support’ would translate to the firefighters too. So, we decided that presenting the shirts to the Camp Liberty Fire Department was a better ‘fit.’ ”

So the shirts were delivered to Camp Liberty Fire Department by Lewis and three other members of the 448 Civil Affairs Battalion/Division. They are Major Ryder Crockett of Ft. Lewis, Staff Sergeant Charles Carrillo of San Jose, California and Staff Sergeant Michelle White of Ft. Lewis.

At the Camp Liberty Fire Station (in Iraqi it’s called Camp Tahreer, which means liberty), the soldiers from the Civil Affairs Battalion presented the shirts to grateful comrades.

SSG Lewis shared information about the “Hero to Hero” program. “The Fire Chief read aloud the inscription on his shirt; the other fire fighters put on their shirts to take pictures.”

As the Battalion representatives were preparing to leave, Lewis continued “they waved at us to return inside as they had something to present to us for the ‘Heroes’ back home. We were just about to leave, but we went back in anyway. Surely, we did not expect anything in return, but the Chief and his ‘boys’ were busily signing an embroidered 3’x5’ American Flag. Everyone gathered around, shook our hands again, and gave us some Camp Liberty Firefighter patches and said, “Please share our thanks to the fire station and community members back in your home town and present this flag to them–share with them OUR thanks for their service and support.” Lewis concluded, “We took more pictures in front of their fire engine, then the flag was folded and given to SSG Lewis for delivery.”

The flag from Camp Liberty Fire Department in Baghdad, Iraq was presented to the Duvall Fire Department at the January Association meeting. “I think it’s an awesome thing that the soldiers did, passing on the shirts to the firefighters there instead of keeping them,” offered Association President and Firefighter Paul Kingham. “I was very moved by the gift of the flag, and by the video presentation that SSG Lewis made for us.”

The flag will be permanently installed where the duty crew will see it as they leave on emergency calls. “As a board, we thought it would be great to correspond back with that department, to continue to boost their morale. We will invite them to come visit us when they return.”

Again, from the “Hero to Hero” Web site, Liz Jackson shares this: “One of the questions I am asked most often is, “How did you come up with this idea?” I asked Firefighters & Police who they considered to be heroes and the response was ... “The soldiers who have signed up and deployed to Afghanistan & Iraq after September 11th.”

“Then, asking soldiers who were deployed who they considered to be heroes, they replied ... “When I am deployed, it is the Firefighters and Police who watch over my family’s safety ... they are my heroes!”

The mutual admiration between these groups is obvious ... Hero To Hero allows for each group to honor the other ... the soldiers wear the shirts of their hometown heroes into battle, and the words of those back home stay with the soldier throughout their deployment.”

For more information on the Hero to Hero Morale Campaign, visit their Web site at http://www.herotohero.us