Firegeezer notes: In this week leading up to Veteran's Day, we have been presenting this touching documentary on the final trip of Firefighter Tristan Smith in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, who was killed in combat in Iraq. The preparations for this tribute were done on a moment's notice, but you will see that literally dozens of fire departments sprang into action to honor this young man. The compassion, honor, and brotherhood that they exhibited is touching. Please join us as we ride along, Bringing Tristan Home from the Dover AFB mortuary. This is the concluding installment of this series.

This is part 5 of 5. If you missed the beginning, please start with Part 1 HERE. Part 2 is HERE.
Part 3 is HERE.  Part 4 is HERE.

Dozens of FD's in Two States Honor a Firefighter / War Casualty

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Part 5:  Tristan Smith is laid to rest.

The Procession entered the Cathedral grounds and was met by an honor guard of members from several nearby departments.

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U.S. Army detail renders honors as the casket is removed from the hearse. The woman is their bugler. Her rendition of "Taps" was truly stirring.

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left to right:  FF Lach Brown, Vice President of BAFC; (then) Deputy Chief Derek Zecher; FF Connor Scott; Chaplain Thomas Rose; FF Lindsey Glenn; Lt. Ryan Synnestvedt; Major General Ronald Nelson, USMC (retired); (then) Chief Kris Smith.

Lach Brown was a highly decorated Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam war. General Nelson was on the White House detail and flew President Eisenhower. Chief Smith was Tristan's uncle.

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Tristan laid in honor overnight in the cathedral.  The next day Tristan’s funeral service, officiated by Rev. Grant Schnarr, was held. At the conclusion, his casket was carried from the church by fire company members and placed in the emptied hose bed of our 1978 Hahn engine for the ride to the Bryn Athyn Church cemetery. On arrival, fire company members lined up at the back of the engine. The casket was taken off of the engine and passed on to the Army’s detail for interment.

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May God be with you, Tristan

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Firegeezer notes: In this week leading up to Veteran's Day on Friday, we are presenting this touching documentary on the final trip of  Firefighter Tristan Smith in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, who was killed in combat in Iraq. The preparations for this tribute were done on a moment's notice, but you will see that literally dozens of fire departments sprang into action to honor this young man. The compassion, honor, and brotherhood that they exhibited is touching. Please join us as we ride along, Bringing Tristan Home from the Dover AFB mortuary.

This is part 3 of 5. If you missed the beginning, please start with Part 1 HERE.  Part 2 is HERE.

Dozens of FD's in Two States Honor a Firefighter / War Casualty

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Part 3:  Continuing along the I-476:

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We entered the turnpike through a designated lane at the toll plaza without stopping.

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Upon exiting the turnpike, we went into a Best Buy parking lot where apparatus from numerous local departments were staged awaiting our arrival.　 The procession reformed with these additional units and proceeded over a number of local streets, past several other firehouses, winding up at our station.  Police departments of each municpality joined the PSP escort for the passage through their respective locals.

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One of the most poignant moments occurred as our route took us past Gloria Dei Towers, a high rise retirement home. There many residents, some of them WWII and Korean War veterans, lined the sidewalk to render honors as the procession passed.

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Tomorrow, Part 4 – We arrive at Tristan's home town of Bryn Athyn.  CLICK HERE to read Part 4.

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Firegeezer notes: In this week leading up to Veteran's Day on Friday, we are presenting this touching documentary on the final trip of a firefighter in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, who was killed in combat in Iraq. The preparations for this tribute were done on a moment's notice, but you will see that literally dozens of fire departments sprang into action to honor this young man. The compassion, honor, and brotherhood that they exhibited is touching. Please join us as we ride along, Bringing Tristan Home.

This is part 2 of 5. If you missed the beginning, please start with Part 1 HERE.

Dozens of FD's in Two States Honor a Firefighter / War Casualty

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We took 13 up to I-495, 495 through Wilmington to where it meets I-95 at the Penna. line.

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After we got onto 495, the City of Wilmington had two engines and a ladder on a bridge. Two others, Brandywine Hundred and Claymont took positions on the berm in their locals.

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At the Delaware/Pennsylvania line, the Delaware State Trooper dropped off and a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper picked up the escort detail. 　

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As we were coming up 95 through the city of Chester, about a mile or so before the I-476 split, traffic suddenly　slowed　to a crawl.　 Tristan's uncle, our then chief Kris Smith was riding with me in the engine.　 We both said, "Oh boy, just what we need."　 As we got to the ramp for the split, we saw the problem.　 About 8 or 10 Delaware County companies had taken positions on the ramp, along with a Pennsylvania State Police car.

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On I-476 as on 495, many Delaware County companies positioned themselves on bridges. Our route then took us onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Turnpike Commission had designated a lane for us to use so that we entered the turnpike without stopping. As we passed through the Fort Washington interchange, two more state police cars held up entering traffic until we cleared the interchange. And many bridges were covered by Montgomery County fire companies.

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Tomorrow, Part 3 – we leave the Turnpike and proceed to another staging area where several more FD's join the escort procession.  CLICK HERE to read Part 3.

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Firegeezer notes:  In this week leading up to Veteran's Day on Friday, we are presenting this touching documentary on the final trip of a firefighter in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, who was killed in combat in Iraq.  The preparations for this tribute were done on a moment's notice, but you will see that literally dozens of fire departments sprang into action to honor this young man.  The compassion, honor, and brotherhood that they exhibited is touching.  Please join us over the next five days as we ride along, Bringing Tristan Home.

Dozens of FD's in Two States Honor a Firefighter / War Casualty

In August, 2006, Bryn Athyn Fire Co. (Montgomery County, Pennsylvania) lost a member, killed in action while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq. Tristan Smith was a young man, recently promoted to Lieutenant in the fire company, and nephew of Chief Kris Smith.

The fire company learned that his remains would be released from the Dover Air Force Base mortuary on Friday, September 8, and transported back to Bryn Athyn by government contracted hearse. A number of members got together and decided to send apparatus to Dover to provide a fire department escort. Word got out, so on that day Bryn Athyn Engine 11, Special Service 11 and Ambulance 355-1 were joined by Willow Grove Fire Co. Engine 10-2 and Horsham Fire Co. Squad 15.

Life member and former Deputy Chief Greg Jakubowski used his many connections as he states:

“Advance contacts had been made with numerous area companies, along with Tucker Dempsey, 1st Vice-President of the Delaware State Fire Chief’s Association, to properly respect Tristan on his ride back. Tucker is past chief of the Cheswold, Delaware Fire Company. He had connected us with Kevin Wilson, past chief of the Clayton, Delaware Fire Company, retired Delaware State Police officer, and Chief of the Wyoming, Delaware Police Department. Tucker coordinated the Delaware state fire response, and Kevin assisted us in gaining a Delaware State Police escort and was the designated Public Information Officer to interface with the Delaware media. Both of these individuals were HUGE assets in coordinating our trip down and back through Delaware.”

Bryn Athyn career FF/EMT Jeff Tarman made contact with members of fire companies in Delaware County, Pa. to let them know of our plans. Plymouth Township, Montgomery County Fire Marshall Andy Mount did the same in central Montgomery County.

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On the way down we took a brief rest break at Cheswold, Delaware’s station before continuing the short distance to Dover.

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At the time we were to depart Dover AFB we learned that there had been some misunderstanding on the part of the hearse driver. He had left the base and got onto Delaware Rt. 1 to begin what he thought would be a routine trip. A Delaware State Trooper who had been assigned to escort the procession through the state quickly stopped the hearse and explained to the driver the change of plan. As Greg Jakubowski explains in his write up “…but not until the procession had entered Delaware Route 1 North, bypassing a Dover Fire Department memorial with crossed ladders and an American flag set up on Route 113 just North of the Route 1 turnoff.”

Once formed, the procession moved from Rt. 1 to US 13.　

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The towns that we passed through or near in Delaware included Cheswold, Smyrna, Blackbird, Townsend, Middletown, Odessa, Port Penn, Saint Georges, and Wilmington Manor.　

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Other nearby fire departments also picked spots along the highway and joined in. At each town we went through there was apparatus staged beside the road. When it was possible there were traditional aerial ladder arches with flags displayed, or even single aerials with flags. Members stood beside the road to render honors. 　

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Tomorrow – Part 2:  We continue through Delaware into Wilmington, then cross into Pennsylvania.
CLICK HERE to read Part Two.

Part 1 path of travel:

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