Mayor Michael Nutter spoke during the annual ceremony, during which two new names were added to the memorial, those of police Sgt. Robert Wilson III and fire Lt. Joyce Craig.
There was another big demonstration in downtown Philadelphia last Wednesday afternoon, another march of people — hundreds of them in fact — all with a passionate and very personal point to make.
They were people like Anne Skerski, Judy Cassidy, Patsy McDonald, Wayne Lipscomb, Michael Goodwin Jr., Carol Craig and Constance Wilson, some young enough to be carried in their mothers’ arms, some old enough that merely walking from a chair to the etched plaques of the city’s Living Flame Memorial presented its own set of challenges.
These relatives and loved ones of the city’s fallen police officers and firefighters were there to pay their respects to the more than 500 individuals whose names appear on the memorial in Franklin Square. And they were also there to accentuate the heroism of the city’s first responders at a time when criticism of cops has been dominating headlines across the nation.
So was Mayor Michael Nutter.
“These dedicated guardians are owed a daily debt of gratitude for the work they do, the lives they touch and the danger they face,” Nutter said during the annual ceremony, during which two new names were added to the memorial, those of police Sgt. Robert Wilson III and fire Lt. Joyce Craig.
“You’ve heard me say time and time and time again, if you see one of our members in uniform, if you know someone who is a police officer, a firefighter, a member of the military, walk up to them and say, ‘Thank you for your service to our city and our nation,’” Nutter added.
State Rep. Mike Driscoll, the keynote speaker during the ensuing survivors’ luncheon, directly addressed the popular anti-authority sentiment.
“As we struggle to come to grips and make sense of both their loss and today’s headlines trumpeting civil unrest, accusations of racism in many quarters and a general distrust of authority, the men and women we honor today speak with one voice through their sacrifice,” Driscoll said. “That voice is, ‘The make-up of a person’s character is truly color blind.’ Let us all work together to teach our children that when they see a police officer, they see only one color — blue.”
Judy Cassidy, widow of slain police officer Chuck Cassidy, said following the ceremony, “We know there’s good and bad in every profession, but a lot of these officers are trying to do their job and it’s sad that they can’t anymore without such controversy.”
On Halloween 2007, Chuck Cassidy was fatally shot after unknowingly walking into a robbery in progress at a North Philadelphia doughnut shop. He was among eight city police officers who lost their lives to duty-related violence in less than three years. The tragedy that claimed Sgt. Robert Wilson III’s life on March 5 was eerily similar to Cassidy’s.
Wilson, 30, and partner Officer Damien Stevenson stopped at a North Philly Game Stop store that afternoon. Stevenson waited outside in their marked patrol car while Wilson went inside. Moments later, two armed robbers burst into the business and announced a robbery. A shootout ensued during which Wilson attracted the robbers’ gunfire, diverting the lethal threat away from patrons and employees. Wilson, a Southwest Philly resident and father of two, was wounded and died that night.
In recognition of Wilson’s selfless actions, the police department renamed its Medal of Valor in Wilson’s honor.
Stevenson, a six-year veteran of the department, had never before attended the Living Flame ceremony. The memorial was erected in 1976 and later modified. The central component is a sculpture by Reginald E. Beauchamp. It is the only combined memorial for police and firefighters in a major American city.
“It was a beautiful ceremony, something I think I will come to every year without hesitation. I will be here,” Stevenson said. “It means that (Wilson’s) legacy, his life, his memory, what he did that day will go down in history. It will never be forgotten and the city honors him. His name is actually etched in stone.”
Fire Lt. Craig also saved lives in sacrificing her own. Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison told how the 37-year-old from Engine 64 was working overtime for another unit, Engine 73, when they responded to an early-morning fire in the basement of a West Oak Lane home. She helped rescue an elderly woman from the first floor of the burning domicile before Craig descended into the basement to reach the flames at their source.
Craig became trapped in intense heat and smoke and lost consciousness before rescuers could reach her. She was the first woman firefighter killed in the line of duty. A Castor Gardens resident, Craig was the mother of two.
“This ceremony serves as a constant memorial to those who have given their lives to protecting and ensuring the safety of the community that we serve,” Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said. “The significance of their contributions cannot be minimized. And while they will be dearly missed, their legacy lives on in the spirit of those who continue to serve.”
Their legacy also lives on in the loved ones who return to the memorial dutifully year after year.
“It’s hard. No matter what we do, when we come to these things, it takes you back to everything that happened,” Judy Cassidy said. “On the other hand, you don’t want people to ever forget what officers and firefighters have done. So it’s nice that they remember and honor them. We are grateful for that.”
Cassidy and the other survivors share a bond, supporting each other and learning from one another over time. But the hurt never ends.
“I saw an older woman (at the ceremony) and I’m not quite sure who she was and it broke my heart because I wondered how many years she’s been doing this,” Cassidy said. “You know, this is for the rest of your life. It could have happened to her husband, her father, her daughter, I don’t know. But I looked at her and thought, ‘Wow, all these years of your life and it never goes away.’ ”
Added Stevenson: “It’s definitely overwhelming, watching the sea of support, everyone here. I was taken aback because I didn’t know how big this event was. Now I do.” ••
In loving memory: People gathered at the city’s Living Flame Memorial last Wednesday in Franklin Square to pay their respects to fallen police officers and firefighters.
Honoring fallen heroes: The family of fire Lt. Joyce Craig lays roses on the Living Flame Memorial during a ceremony last week. Relatives and loved ones of the city’s fallen police officers and firefighters paid their respects to the more than 500 individuals whose names appear on the memorial. Craig, a Castor Gardens resident, was the first woman firefighter killed in the line of duty. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTOS
