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Chicago Fire Dept. honors fallen firefighters with Memorial Day Mass
The fire department’s pipe and drum corps set the tone, as uniformed members walked to church for the 89th Annual Memorial Day Mass at the Church of the Holy Family in Little Italy.
CHICAGO - The men and women of the Chicago Fire Department remember the fallen each year on Memorial Day.
The 89th Annual Memorial Day Parade and Mass began with a march to the Church of the Holy Family in Little Italy.
The fire department’s pipe and drum corps set the tone, as uniformed members walked to church, entering under the American flag, held by fire truck ladders.
Two firefighters who died in the line of duty in the last year were honored: 59-year-old Lt. Kevin Ward died after fighting a house fire last August and 39-year-old Andrew Price died from a fall, battling a fire in Lincoln Park.
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89th Annual Memorial Day Parade and Mass gets underway
Community members gathered at the Church of the Holy Family Monday morning to honor the deceased members of the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Firemen’s American Legion Post #667. There will be a parade marching into the church ahead of mass.
Two other firefighters died in the line of duty last April. Four deaths and four funerals in one year. One of the most tragic for the department.
They also honored eight active members and 125 retirees who passed.
Fire Commissioner Annette Nance Holt said the department’s ceremonial practices are meant to display duty, to let families know that their lost loved ones are never forgotten.
Some firefighters are also veterans, and their service to the city and country was highlighted this Memorial Day.