 You know, there's something about having a mission, specifically when it comes to service of country and community. I say it's what drives us, it inspires us, it often gives us purpose. It's the mission and an obligation and a sacrifice that we honor here today. 64 heroes who had a mission and carried out that obligation. Now the thing about missions is that over time they change well I guess maybe evolve is probably a way to be more accurate and generally for the better and that even goes for our very foundation here. 12 years ago our mission was to ensure that we never forget those lost on September 11th 2001 and never forget the heroes that followed. But over time we've kind of evolved. We started a scholarship program, actually added things to the memorial itself and we're making sure that we educate to not only never forget, that's the mantra, but always remember. And see to me those are two different things. I remember that Pearl Harbor happened. I remember learning all about it. I can recite several facts but I wasn't there. I wasn't someone who watched the events play out in real time but I will never ever forget where I was that Tuesday morning as a group of cowards used four planes to destroy our innocence at 846 a.m. 22 years it's been there were men and women who weren't even born who wearing uniforms and serving our country in this crowd alone. They remember what happened and they know why they carry out their mission but it's for those people who don't have those images seared in their memories that we have the mission and obligation to teach and ensure that they too always remember. Always remember the mission, the service of the heroes that day that risked and gave all so that another person could live on. And the memory to honor 64 heroes from the Midlands who've carried out their mission since that day. My name is Tyler Ryan. It's my honor to welcome you to this morning to the morning of remembrance. Real quick I want to thank everyone of course who joins us year after year when we meet here but I do want to take a moment and recognize a few guests in attendance. Major General Jeff Jones from the South Carolina National Guard. Colonel Chris Hyman the South Carolina National Guard. Secretary Todd McCaffrey South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs. Also Major General Retired U.S. Army. Major General Retired Kate Leahy Voight U.S. Army. Sheriff Leon Lott Governor Henry McMaster. The family members and friends of our fallen heroes being recognized today. J. Michael Muller. Specialist Jason Haven. Officer Tyrell Owens Riley. And Lieutenant Michael Wood. Also want to recognize the Gold Star family members and the Blue Star family members. Alex Conyer is the president of SC State. Of course the honorable Mayor Daniel Rickenman from the city of Columbia. Also our four scholarship recipients and their families Jordan Franklin, Carolyn Davis, Zachariah Taylor and Madison Morant. At this time please welcome Reverend Kermit Morris who is the grandfather of J. Michael Muller from the Irmo Fire Department to lead us in our invocation. If you are able would you stand as we honor God. Father we are so grateful to be able to stand before you this morning. Father with a grateful heart and gratitude to you for these heroes that we honor today. Father we are so grateful for the men and women who come before us who stood in the gap who died to give us freedom in this country. Father I thank you today with gratitude for those from 9-11 2001 when everybody was running away these first responders ran in and Father we're grateful for the life we have because of them. Father we're grateful this morning also for those in the Midlands area that have given the ultimate sacrifice. You told us in your word Father that that your son had mentioned it to us that there was no greater love than that one would lay down his life for his friends. Father thank you for our friends. Father thank you for the people here that love you and care for you. Thank you for the opportunity to gather in this place today and to honor those especially those whose names are going on the wall today. Father we thank you that all paid a price for us to have the freedom we have and Father we're extremely grateful for that and we're grateful to live in a country called America. Father we're grateful for your love and your care and your guidance in Jesus name amen. Who knows what a day will bring. 22 years ago today just like you got up this morning and got dressed for this event three thousand Americans gave their lives for this country for democracy. The two bells just rang by firefighter retired Charles Boone signify the first strike on the north tower of the World Trade Center. American Airlines flight 11 crashes into the building signaling the start of a very long day. I also want to acknowledge and welcome General Ben McCarty from the South Carolina Army National Guard. General Kelly and Command Sergeant Major Oates from Fort Jackson. Thank you gentlemen for being here with us today. You know I'm sure that we all have somebody in our lives and in this case we may share the same dude who doesn't take no for an answer. You know he says who's going to complete it and who's going to complete the mission on time. When faced with pulling off a memorial for fallen heroes that included a 25 pair of 25 foot granite towers a pair of twisted beams from the from the towers themselves Dan Hennigan was the never accepting no guy. He organized a group made 10,000 phone calls I think to each of us. The memorial was created with his vision and his leadership. Please welcome the chairman of our memorial project retired United States Army captain and honorary FDNY battalion chief Daniel C. Hennigan. Good morning. I'd like to welcome Governor McMaster's Mayor Rickamon, distinguished guests, first responders, military service members, White Knoll choir. Let me talk about the White Knoll choir for a moment. They are simply incredible. Can we get around the applause for them please? Stand up and if Cheryl can you raise your hand? She is the choir leader, choir director and thanks to her we're able to have those choir that get in a bus early this morning in Lexington come across the river safely and they get here. So thank you very much. I want to recognize the Patriot Riders they were out there every tunnel to tower event that we have every year and they never ever say no. Thank you very much. Can we stand up for them real quick? Let's stand up for the Glenn Adams our bad pipe person who's been with me since day one. Thank you very much and I'd like to welcome all the guests at this 13th annual warning of remembrance. Think about this when you look around out there you've got fire, you've got police, you've got EMS and the story just goes on. We got gold star mothers, we got blue star mothers and this morning when I woke up and I thought about what am I going to talk about I said to myself I want to talk about the people that make it happen. I maybe we recognize as a drummer but I'm not the guy that makes it happen. Everybody in here especially our fire our police our EMS you know the band and everything that is why this works because we all care we all love we all help each other the program and I hope you take the program away with you because there's a lot of effort that goes in to tell a story. Unfortunately this year we're going to be honoring four heroes later on in the ceremony we will put a wreath on a memorial and we'll never forget that's why we're here today never forget what I like to do now which I don't believe I've ever done in 13 years but I have a board and I love my board and they are so committed to me to try to deliver on all my stuff I'd like my I'd like you to stand. Mike Saunafield Mike Saunafield has been with me since 2005 David Kerr David's been with David where are you? David oh okay uh Jared Evans Jared there you are right there Susan McPherson she's my communication director and she's right behind me when it comes to not accepting or using the word no thank you for what you do Laurie Stokes she's my volunteer lady she goes out and gets all the volunteers all the Boy Scouts Turner Ivan Turner he's my CFO probably a very important guy to keep my books straight Dr Aubrey say it Dawn Yamashiro Dawn Yamashiro is the face of my foundation because when I brought the beans back from New York City on September 7th 2010 and Chief Jenkins called me on the phone and said hey Dan I understand you got some steel from the World Trade Center yes sir can I come up and get it and bring it and for 9-11 I said fine sir sir and so we all assembled in this park and Dawn came up to me and tapped me on my shoulder she said I'm Dawn Yamashiro this is my family my brother died in tower one and ever since that words that I heard Dawn is our face and we always think about her brother every year thank you Dawn um Ryan McCabe Chris Bernard works in operations does a great job Ken Yamashiro who is the son of Dawn and we have Nicole Dale who's my administrator that just simply does a great job Joseph Maier Jesse Harman so if you were involved our T2T on Friday night Jesse is the engine that makes that happen and Adam Santa Tamaria and he's my counterpart in New York City and New York City Foundation and when we put all this together this is what comes out of it and if you were at the run on Friday night I'm told we had over 2,500 runners pretty big from last year so what I'd like to you know wind up round up right now I'd like to just thank everybody for pay attention to detail commitment to excellence always trying to do something different and I'll close I just thought of some we'll close with this I've got a a grandchild that's four years old she was in a recital and during the recital at the very end it said patriotism and then they came out and the song you're in the navy they played and they started tap dancing and as they kept tap dancing there's about 300 people in the audience and everybody stood up and everybody started clapping and I sat there and I'm like we're going to do that in South Carolina we're going to do it so we call Mike on the phone Mike Saunafield say hey I don't know we got to find a group of kids and we're going to do what we did in Ohio and I'm happy to say right over there we had about 20 young five-year-old nine-years-old and they put on a dance in a show Friday night that was spot-on it was incredible so if any of those people are here thank you very much ladies and gentlemen this is a 13 year and I'm going to be 72 and I hope I'm around over the next 10 years to stand here with you to join hands with you to pray with you to remember with you and I hope we don't put another name on that wall but if you go by that wall you'll see five spaces and I hope we never have to put five people on that wall because if we do we're gonna have to build wings and expand the wall ladies and gentlemen it's been an honor to serve you and I look forward to going to the future holding your hands going forward God bless South Carolina God bless the United States of America thank you for all you do God bless you ladies and gentlemen I ask you please stand well Columbia Fire Department engineer Charles Boone leads us and our Pledge of Allegiance I'd ask you remain standing please for the presentation of colors and the singing of our national anthem that was Richland County Deputy Brianna Melton please be seated I've had the honor of working with our next guests on many events and projects over the last many years even well before his move to the corner office these events generally related to service members and first responders from Columbia to the upstate and to the low country wherever it is in the state he always supports the mission both from his office and personally how cool is that that would be the South Carolina Air National Guard fighter wing by the way but as I was saying from his office and personally he truly understands the sacrifice that is asked all too often please welcome the governor of this amazing state 903 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center there is no doubt at this time that our country is under attack 59 minutes later the South Tower will collapse and shortly thereafter the North Tower falls as well first responders 343 new york city firefighters will perish that day along with 27 new york city police department officers and 37 port authority officers it was truly the beginning of a very sad day please welcome the governor of this amazing state the honorable Henry McMaster I'm happy to be with you on this beautiful Monday as we never forget just a few things to say as we remember on a Saturday a few months ago April 22nd all of the flags on the state house lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset it was a day of a funeral it was an honor given by a state only to those who've greatly distinguished themselves in our state by their service valor and achievement that is by those who have answered the call of duty the 13 men being recognized that day had fallen in the early morning light in a battle a fierce battle that's strong the fierce battle took place on a Wednesday august 16th 1780 in the pine forests of Camden in the revolutionary war in this battle of britain southern campaign 3,700 patriots colonials faced 2,230 british soldiers and total victory was claimed by the well armed and disciplined british as 1,000 untrained starving inexperienced patriots many of them barefooted some as young as 15 fell as the patriots fled the field the british attempted to bury their own dead with some semblance of discipline and honor the americans however were left in shallow haphazard trenches usually under only inches of soil well 242 years later metal buttons and musket balls detected under the surface led archaeologists to the graves of 14 men one carefully placed british soldier with his arms across his chest folded one native american one loyalist and 11 patriots colonials they had all given their lives in battle for their countrymen and all were deserving of honorable internment which they had not received the ketoba nation would commemorate their fallen warrior america and great britain would do the same thus as we were there as the caissons rolled and the wooden caskets were carefully carried to rest marshal cords drifted upwards drums snared and beat a slow muffled march the silence of 2,000 respectful souls young and old from near and far was broken only by the mournful strain of the bagpipes the sad farewell of the bugle's taps and finally the ricocheting echoes of the american 21 gun salute over a thousand tall pines stood silent witness to it all perhaps in place of the others who had fallen in that battle long ago those who answered when duty called duty called point two perhaps you saw the movie saving private ryan is based on the true story of private fritz nyland of the 501st parachute infantry regiment of the 101st airborne division and the allied landing at normandy during world war two otherwise known as d-day june 6 1944 a tuesday the film by steven spielberg was so realistic that the u.s department of veterans affairs established a national hotline for veterans to call about emotional distress from the movie in the movie captain john h miller played by tom hanks led a group of army rangers to find and retrieve private james francis ryan played by matt damon to send him home following the death of his three brothers on d-day despite ferocious encounters with german troops and casualties they located private ryan but instead of attempting to find their way back to safety behind the lines duty called and they joined his small band of desperate paratroopers and made their stand against the oncoming enemy attack in romell which is a fictitious fritz town as the seconds and the enemy closed in and with annihilation certain army and air reinforcements arrived just in the nick of time to turn the battle but not before captain miller was mortally wounded his last raspy exhausted words to private ryan earned this earned this it's a compelling scene and though it's fiction such incidents have taken place thousands of times in warfare and countless other times even in towns and cities such as ours through sacrifices made by men and women known and unknown to us celebrated in obscure including those men who fell at camden but over the centuries they built this country and brought us to where we are today the only difference between those men of history and fiction and these we honor and celebrate today is time none of us today were present with those men in camden fighting for our freedom some of us here may have known the boys as president reagan referred to them but every one of these men and women we celebrate and honor today was known loved honored and respected by somebody here today and every one of them answered the call of duty likewise perhaps a few of us here today were present in new york but all of us shared the shock and horror of that day through images on television and replayed over and over and over again so it is fitting that we celebrate these lives of courage service and sacrifice and honor their memories the ladies and gentlemen it is they who wear the uniforms who carry the flags who represent the best and strength of america as they answer the call of duty we are stronger because we remember them and we remember them because we are strong god bless south carolina and god bless america thank you governor for each name on this wall there are family members who are left here to carry on a name and a memory i'd like to welcome all of the family members of these heroes and allow me on behalf of the rest of us to thank you for your sacrifice now make no mistake service is a sacrifice and it's made every single day thankfully it's not every day that the ultimate price is paid but when it is the reality of the next day faces those who are left please welcome representing our gold star and blue star family members the mother of first lieutenant ryan ral who was killed in action while serving in the south carolina national guard miss diane ral good morning on behalf of the gold star mothers and families and the families of all the fallen first responders i would like to thank our community for continuing to remember our heroes with moving ceremonies just like this our grief is often softened some by the love we feel while we're here and your respect additionally i would like to recognize and show my respect for my heroes that are here first of all my buddies the patriot guard riders they are everywhere they stand and they support our veterans the fallen first responders they are everywhere and i thank you so very much for your service also i would like to yes they certainly i would also like to thank the heroes i wish y'all could see what i see the fire fighters the law enforcement the ems all first responders that risk their lives every single day for you and for me and for others in our community we thank you so very much your adversaries have made you strong and your victories have made you wise but your actions have certainly made us proud thank you again thank you very much from the fallen families for always remembering for this beautiful dedicated site and for all you do for us in remembrance of our our own heroes thank you so much thank you miss diane our next speaker this morning is no stranger to mission sacrifice service leadership with 32 years in the united states army serving across the globe earning many medals in service honors he retired as the deputy commanding officer for jackson now retired i think it's kind of a fluid term for our speaker he didn't hit the golf golf course after retirement or at least not full time anyway he continues to work with soldiers the community and even serves as the serves the state as the director of the department of motor vehicles it's a man i'm honored to call a friend colonel kevin schwaedel government master mayor fellow cabinet members president kanya general officer sergeants major active guard and reserve gold star family members diane and dawn patriot guard first responders and members of this great patriotic community it is a true honor to celebrate and remember great american heroes we are blessed to live in a historic state with a rich heritage heroes going all the way back to the revolutionary war those very same heroes that governor and master talked about a minute ago men like multary marion sumter we also have modern heroes like our very own living medal of honor recipients men's like men like corporal kyle carpenter sergeant kyle white sergeant major pat pain corporal excuse me colonel gordon ray roberts and major general james livingston today we add four new names to our list of individuals who died while serving this great state selflessly fireman james moeller of the ermo fire department officer terrell owin riley of the columbia police department lieutenant michael wood of the newberry police department and specialist jason haven of the south carolina national guard four men that deserve our respect all that gave and left it if you will on the battlefield selflessly that said america at large has no idea what real heroes are we use that term loosely we actually use it unfortunately as a participation trophy when you look at the word hero and actually define it it's individuals who have performed a heroic act courageous brave acts and i want to say that again because i want you to think of what a hero is versus what it is not they're individuals who have performed a heroic act they're courageous and they're a brave act i want you to get a mental image of what that person is in your mind right now start thinking about what those heroes are because we screw it up every day in the united states of america i went online last night and pulled down an article of people that are called american heroes and this group was identified as america's americans who are they i can't make this stuff up out of the 50 names some of them were taylor schwift honey boo boo jerry springer katelyn jenner steven colbert the hulk and elvis presley now if any one of you think that they are great american heroes i will say you've lost your buddy mind we're talking about heroes out here we dishonor them when we use the word hero as a participation trophy from my perspective that's absolutely disgusting i want to talk about sacrifice this country has made since the beginning of time governor mcmaster talked at the very beginning our loss is during the revolutionary war we lost 25 000 men earning our independence the civil war 620 000 world war one 116 000 world war two 406 000 korean war 36 000 vietnam war 58 000 and since iraq and afghanistan 7 000 more i now want you to look at those twin towers behind me they represent at ground zero 2800 americans that lost their lives and i want you to look at that twisted steel and realize what it takes to twist i by i beams the way they're twisted yet we had 343 firefighters 73 law enforcement officers total lose their lives that day and think about their sacrifice the first tower heard already come down and you had these men and women in the second tower carrying people down refusing their orders for their own safety so they could take others to the bottom of the tower we don't think about it in graphic terms because we don't want to and that's unfortunate we're in a society and a time where our children have very little appreciation for those losses they can't talk to you about the numbers it's physically impossible for them to understand and appreciate the number of those losses too many people today have no idea how fragile our democracy and liberty are and i would tell you it's only a precious few that are willing to fight for it many of those individuals names are on this monument we say we'll never forget but how many of you will remember the following incidents that i'm going to talk about that have terrorized this country since i entered the service in 1978 and it's a laundry list and i'm going to read the laundry list but i want you to think about the things we've already forgotten the beirut barracks bombing in 82 the first world trade center bombing in 93 most people have forgotten that the first trade center was bombed almost 10 years before that the one that we recognize today the u.s. embassy bombing in no arrive Nairobi in 98 the uss coal bombing in 2000 September 11th the fordhood shooting in 2009 the marine i mean the boston marathon bombing in 2013 the chattanooga recruit by shooting in 2015 the orlando nightclub bombing in 2016 the new york truck attack in 2017 the naval air station pensacola shooting in 2019 the naval air station shooting a corpus christian 2020 is that a comprehensive list no that is a small list of a whole lot of people that are trying to attack this great nation because they're jealous of what we have yet we've got people in america today that are not only not willing to fight for that willing of that that honor but they're willing to give away our liberties immediately why because they've got no skin in the game the closer you get to any one of these these important events the more willing you're to put your hand in the air i mean think about what happened at 9 11 think about how many men and women ran to their recruiters to be a part of something bigger and i will tell you every time we get hit like this america gets very patriotic but as soon as we go ahead and get comfortable again we hit the bloody snooze button and we forget about those sacrifices and we're willing to give away the freedom that is burned by others that have paid that price in blood and i find that absolutely atrocious it's only the actions of our true heroes at home and abroad that stand every day and night for our liberty and our freedom as way too many try to take it away from us ladies and gentlemen we cannot afford we cannot afford to forget we can't let small groups take our liberty that's been paid for in blood since the revolution of this great country we have to remember what heroes are and more importantly how to define heroes and not use that term as a participation trophy we have to remember and celebrate their sacrifices if we want others to fall in the footsteps of these great heroes we still have to sustain this fragile republic let's find those heroes among us they're there i was here friday night i was challenged to borrow chief sonofeld's bunker gear and run among those great american heroes the soldiers sailors airmen marines coastmen the first responders that i was honored to wear i was honored to wear your bunker gear i don't know why you let me do it but i was honored to do it it was not stolen pride it was trying to honor those men that were out there carrying tanks on their back okay with fire hats on and carrying the equipment to honor sieven sillars first run from tunnel to towers what i really want you to do now is not only forget the name not not forget the names that are up here but i want you to go to places to where we can honor them this is a great place to come and recognize sacrifice and so is the pentagon and so is ground zero so that we never forget their contributions but just as importantly find these men and women for example that are in the front row and standing to our right are your are your right my left that have made the sacrifice and make it every day to keep this this great country safe shake their hand thank them for their service thank those gold star family members for their sacrifices because by god they went through enough more far more than i think that their family members will tell you they went through we're in this together from my perspective it's one team one fight never forget those sacrifices and don't forget that we are a nation founded upon godly principles and i don't take this lightly when i suggest to you god bless each of you god bless this great state and god bless america thank you colonel shweto is it too late to run for president for you you think real quick guys i also want to thank the 246th army band uh stated over here for uh for helping us along today as well thank you very much folks i wish i could stand here in front of you and tell you that we're never going to have to place another name on these towers but we all know it's simply not a reality as long as there are bad actors in this world there will be those who make it their mission to neutralize them and protect country and community and in carrying out that mission can always they know in carrying out that mission it can always carry the potential of the ultimate sacrifice since i stood before you one year ago today we've added four heroes to this memorial four brave men who answered the call when called upon i want to acknowledge those family family members and friends of those heroes and let you know that although it may feel like you're alone right now you're not there are 60 other families who know exactly what you're going through the pain the questions the what ifs you have each other as we prepare to honor them amongst these other brave souls on these towers i wanted to invite up the men who knew them who stood next to them and who led them first please welcome major general van mccarty and honor specialist jason r haven the 118th infantry south carolina army national guard first of all i thank everyone for being here today taking the time to come and to remember still the service the sacrifice that was made on 9 11 by our first responders and later by our servicemen and women and for the continued sacrifice that is made today a special welcome to the haven family his friends and to the soldiers that served with specialist jason haven specialist haven enlisted in the south carolina national guard on january the 21st 2020 and was assigned to bravo company first battalion 118th infantry he completed his basic training and advanced individual training at fort bedding georgia and gained the coveted military occupational space specialty of an 11 bravo infantryman specialist haven was mobilized and deployed as part of operation spartan shield to camp biering kawait in august of 2022 on may 23rd excuse me may 25th 2023 specialist haven died in a non-combat related military vehicle rollover accident at his celebration of life in his celebration of life his friends spoke of his infectious humor his witty personality and his love for music travel history politics reading international studies playing video games he was 20 years old he enjoyed video games one of his dearest friends said jason packed a lifetime of living in memories in 20 years at a memorial service at camp biering kawait lieutenant colonel samuel mcdowell the task force rattler and that was the unit that he was assigned to while deployed commander said this specialist haven's love of service to his nation and fellow soldiers was infectious the consummate infantryman he had the unique ability to speak and the unique ability to bring humor to difficult situations while executing every task with both technical and tactical competence specialist haven's influence will have a lasting impact throughout the rattler formation we mourn the immense loss of specialist haven and send our thoughts and prayers to his family prior to his mobilization specialist reed attended the university of south carolina but he was looking forward to attending the university of michigan his dream school which he had already been accepted and was planning to attend following his deployment specialist haven's military awards include the meritorious service medal the army commendation medal the army good conduct medal the national defense service medal the global war on terrorism expeditionary medal and the global war on terrorism service medal in closing i would like to share with you the meritorious service medal that specialist haven received posthumously this is to certify that the president of the united states of america authorized by executive order on 16 january 1969 has awarded the meritorious service medal to specialist jason haven of company b first of the 118th infantry battalion for exceptionally meritorious service as a radio transmission operator rifleman and m libs operator while mobilized in support of operations spartan shield specialist jason haven displayed the highest degree of professionalism sound judgment and technical and tactical competence during operations his actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself bravo company first of the 118th infantry task force rattler task force spartan the united states army central and the united states army from 7 august 2022 through 25 may 2023 given on this 26th day of may 2023 signed mark d micormick major general us army commanding general just a week or so before specialist haven's accident i had an opportunity to go to kawait and visit with the soldiers of the first of the 118th and the soldiers assigned to our signal brigade that were there i saw these soldiers in action and i knew that specialist haven along with all those soldiers there were proud to wear the cloth of this nation and were proud of what they were doing to ensure the safety and liberty of their family and of this great nation the service the sacrifice that has been made by those countless ones that have been already identified here today those that are making that sacrifice here today and for those who will soon take on that role and that responsibility i say thank you may the lord care for and bless the haven family to his friends and to the soldiers he served with thank you god bless you american airlines flight 77 flies low over the dc skyline clipping streetlights before slamming into the side of the pentagon building killing everyone on the airplane and 125 inside of the building it is the first strike on the washington dc area since the war of 1812 please welcome columbia police chief skip holbrook in honor of master police officer tyrell owens riley governor mayor rickman colonel the governor always says we have more patriotism per square inch in this state and i think you certainly drove that home this morning for your rousing words it's an honor and a privilege to be here this morning i want to acknowledge our columbia police officers our columbia firemen fire chief obry jinkins you know this is uh something that we um has really become something we cherish every year here and so much goes into this event and what the city of columbia does every year and and our men and women that wear the uniform to make sure that this this happens and we're able to get all this equipment in and i think it's a compliment to what this foundation does and i and i say thank you in may of 2015 officer terrell antoine owens riley became a columbia police officer his end of watch was september 24th 2022 352 days ago master police officer terrell owens riley's life ended doing what he loved being a police officer training with his fellow officers competing to be a member of the police department swat team and just enjoying life he left us in a physical sense that day he suffered a medical emergency while training with his fellow officers he left a loving mother siblings a fiance and a host of extended family and friends although he left us too soon in a physical sense his spirit his memory his legacy of service as a marine a decorated marine and a police officer that spirit remains there's different things that remind us of people and events we all know where we were september 11th 2001 i also remember the day that i was notified that terrell had fallen ill and had later passed just like i remember the other two columbia police officers that passed stacey case and robert hall i think of terrell often when i see his fiancee ashley as she continues to wear the columbia police badge and represents us so well as she recruits future columbia police officers i also think of terrell when i see his former metro c squad team some have moved on to different assignments but all carry a part of him with them every single day to terrell's mom miss shawna riley and his family please know we will never forget terrell his service to our country the city and all of our citizens he has earned an endearing place among his band of brothers and sisters blue in may of this year terrell joined over 23 thousand fallen brothers and sisters when his name was added to the national law enforcement memorial wall in washington dc today that same honor is bestowed upon him as his name joins the heroes behind me on this memorial wall on behalf of the columbia police department in the city of columbia i would like to thank the 9 11 remembrance foundation of south carolina for helping to preserve the memories of those first responders in the midlands who have given the ultimate sacrifice to their country and their communities we do remember and we will never forget god bless thank you chief holbrook please welcome newberry police chief kevin goodman in honor of lieutenant michael wood good morning it is with great pride and honor that i stand before you this morning to reflect on the life of my brother our family member lieutenant michael mike wood on wednesday july 26 2023 around 5 30 in afternoon while responding to a call to help someone to change their mind about possibly taking their own life lieutenant mike wood lost his the woods family jennifer brandon nalix lost a husband a father and provider the newberry police department lost our brother and leader the newberry community lost a protector law enforcement profession lost a blue blood brother i often talk to our officers daily about knowing their why lieutenant mike wood knew his why he understood and accepted the calling that god had on his life that of service and protection and might war that with pride and humility he was an unselfish person a true team player kind of person that would willingly inconvenience himself for the convenience of others from playing santa claus at the department christmas dinner to leading the boar scout troop to leading the explorers program mike truly had a servant's heart mike will be sorely missed by this department his family and the newberry community he so passionately served for 20 years they say it's not how you die that makes you a hero but instead how you live mike is truly a hero who offered his life in exchange for a better safer society thank you thank you chief goodman i'd like to welcome to the stage now ermo fire chief michael sonofilm and honor of firefighter james excuse me james m muller good morning this is what we call muller time so welcome i'm not a speaker i'm kind of more of the coast guard version of the military so bear with me james muller gave his life on may 26th and we eulogized him on may 31st in front of thousands and thousands of people and i say that today because this is not a eulogy it's more of a discussion about jay and about us here i was watching a movie several years ago couldn't tell you the name of it i just remember it started out with a number on the screen and that was all it was that number today would be 28835 and that number represents the average number of days that a human has on earth so a guy my age quickly got his phone out to see where he landed in there i don't recommend doing that if you're over 60 not a good thing but i did start running some numbers and realized i've been in the fire service for over 14 000 days so far and i looked and i saw jay was in the fire service a firefighter for 2 405 days can you guess which one of us has had more impact on this fire service today and you're not looking at him right here jay was the one and i mean he was just coming out of the starting blocks 2000 days as a firefighter more impact than i've done imagine if he would have had the 14 000 days what that would look like i like to think about that it's something um jay jay left a permanent tattoo on all of us that knew him it was the words he spoke his actions the way he strived to do better every single day it was just the way he lived his life that was jay he also lived the life of a firefighter a little bit bold a little bit cocky sometimes always laughing but he knew his business he was one of the smartest firefighters i've ever had in my career always eager to go always ready to finish the job jay trained for the fire that took his life jay was probably the most physically and mentally prepared firefighter i've ever had what happened that day was an unsurvivable event although people tried to save him risked their own lives to do so it was just his time plain and simple we can't take it much further than that i hate it but now it's our turn how do we never forget jay how do you do that you just say the word and then good you're good to go when you say words like that and and jay's words so how do we forget we do we take an oath like jay did do we rededicate ourselves do we make sure we're having fun doing it maybe we grow a mustache as cool as his maybe we get a tattoo i don't know he would say yeah do all that and then maybe a little bit more so you've got to apply action to those words or it means nothing it just goes away myself and several others took a personal oath during 9 11 to never forget and we applied action to it and you're looking at it right behind us that's not just saying the word but doing something with it we did it again and combined with tunnel the towers to make sure we didn't forget the fallen families the most important again apply action to what it is that you're trying to accomplish by remembering jay you can't just say it it can't just be this day this is not what it's for so if you've already made your plans to do something different it doesn't have to be a memorial change your life a little bit change someone else's life a little bit it can be that big doesn't matter but do something don't just say the word that you remember or you won't forget jay's 200 or 2 405 days as a firefighter made a huge difference to who he served and who he served with refused to let his contributions go without just being a memory it's just it would be a great injustice i'd like you to join me in celebrating by not just being a human being but be a human doing do something do something and honor a jay be more like jay and i'm going to leave you wouldn't be right without a jay quote this morning so this is the one you get jay's it's the best job in the world dude it doesn't owe me nothing it's up to us to uphold the standards of those before me and after me from a young man with just over 2000 days in the fire service that's something thank you all for having us thank you chief i believe at this time the boy scouts have flowers and we're gonna move a wreath over correct these towers bear the names of the first responders and military service members who've paid the ultimate price unfortunately it's the list that has grown even over the last year and although as i said earlier we don't want to add a single more name we know simply that is not going to be the case there are always going to be heroes who will answer the call so that others can remain safe at this time our honor guard made up of military service members first responders and rotc led by commander of troops retired united states army major david ker for the roll call of fallen heroes captain daniel g mccullum united states marine corps staff sergeant patrick l griffin jr united states air force private first class born j mac united states army staff sergeant anthony o thompson united states army narcotics officer donnie r washington richland county sheriff's department private first class elgin on adams south carolina army national guard specialist dairies t jennings united states army master sergeant timothy tony united states marine corps specialist thomas d kaufman united states army reserves captain james e mires orangeberg department of public safety firefighter tommy timmy young columbia fire department specialist katrina bell johnson united states army specialist jason l moskey united states army lance corporal joshua l torrance united states marine corps deputy brian byron keith canon richland county sheriff's department firefighter jeffrey v chavis lexington county fire service lance corporal jonathan w parker south carolina highway patrol sergeant anthony g jones united states army sergeant a joseph derrick south carolina army national guard staff sergeant j torona colado united states marine corps first lieutenant elmar l Fitzgerald united states marine corps lieutenant woodford woody king richland county ems corporal david g wine morts united states marine corps sergeant jason l shepherd akon sheriff's office corporal matthew v dillon united states marine corps paramedic elbert t gunter senior williston rescue squad sergeant shon m dunkin united states army private first class anthony j white united states army firefighter jeffrey swartz wagner fire department deputy darryl k lane richland county sheriff's department lance corporal james d hains the second south carolina highway patrol deputy william howell jr orangeberg sheriff's office master sergeant danie e maybin united states army chaplain w e gene franklin sumptor fire department lance corporal mills palmer bigham united states marine corps specialist abraham s wheeler the third united states army specialist demetrius l void united states army lance corporal jonathan s nash south carolina highway patrol lance corporal mills palmer bigham united united states marine corps private first class robert e foster jr united states army staff sergeant willie james harley jr south carolina army national guard staff sergeant andrew s bubkus united states air force firefighter chance h zobal columbia fire department corporal charles r nesbitt jr sumptor police department sergeant lashan d evans united states army private first class kailyn c johnson united states army specialist kory alan hoit south carolina army national guard master public safety officer e scott richardson achon department of public safety master corporal sandra e rogers achon department of public safety sergeant john jd d medor the second south carolina army national guard first lieutenant ryan d ral south carolina army national guard deputy robert l evans kerrshaw county sheriff's office captain james edward chafe in the third us army firefighter tyrone weston columbia fire department officer gregari thomas alia forest acres police department officer stacy lin case columbia police department corporal dale shannon hallman saluta county sheriff's office fire engineer paul quadelbaum lexington county fire service corporal andrew jillett sumptor county sheriff's department officer roi andrew drew bar jr kasey police department specialist jason r haven south carolina army national guard master police officer tyrell owens riley columbia police department lieutenant michael wood newberry police department james m moller ermo fire department these men and women these heroes did what those who don't understand service and sacrifice would never do when the call came they answered it at this time i'd like to welcome the family members of the fallen heroes for the presentation of the reef 10 0 6 a.m the fourth strike united airlines flight 93 knows they have been hijacked from conversations with family members on the ground they know that their likely target is somewhere in washington dc yet these 44 heroes would fight back these 44 heroes would stop the end of the fourth strike with a crash in a field in pennsylvania we must never forget freedom is not free at this time i'd like to invite retired colonel craig curry to lead us in our benediction received the benediction lord we're thankful for those heroes who have gone before us they have given everything to protect our american society and all of us help us to remember 9 11 all year round and those who have died since then remembering their sacrifice as they died protecting people serving our citizens and defending our country we're thankful to the families around south carolina and those here today whose loved ones were sacrificed on the altar of freedom may you lift them up today and all year replacing harsh memories of loss with encouraging remembrances thank you for those who serve us every day police firefighters ems the military and all other first responders who keep us safe may you continue to protect them as they continue to serve thank you for today's ceremony and help us never to forget as we ask this in your holy name amen thank you brian please be seated folks at the start of the ceremony i mentioned that it's a mission that drives us it gives us a sense of purpose and those missions like life evolve you know there's been something of an evolution over the last few years in life changes that some may argue are probably not for the better many people think that as a society we've lost our collective ability to communicate as well as our ability to simply cope with disappointment when we don't get something exactly our way and maybe people have forgotten the fact that we all have a difference of opinion and we could all still maintain respect for each other regardless of what that difference is you even have a right to it one thing that hasn't changed however is honor and bravery you see behind me these names on these walls these heroes who are willing to give it all in a selfless selfless active duty as we remember and never forget there are these things that won't change another thing that won't change it's the fact that although it is not the goal of anyone who puts on a sam brown belt and chases down a bad guy pulls up turnout gear and runs into a fire or laces up a pair of boots picks up an m14 and walks in patrol i don't want to be honored this day but they know it's a reality and a possibility reality there won't be another kiss from a spouse mom or dad there won't be another weekend of football or a wednesday night out with friends but still that willingness to make the sacrifice will not change and it will be remembered the other thing that won't change are our memories now though i've heard disgusting narratives about it's time to move on like these heroes on this wall we have a mission that is to never forget always remember a mission to always be thankful there are heroes willing to give everything for you and for me and thank god they're there my name is tyler ryan i want to thank you for being here and i leave you with this god bless these heroes and their families god bless the state of south carolina and thank god and god bless the united states of america thank you