With the Holiday
season approaching, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin decorated recognition trees to
honor veterans and first responders.
He, along with First Lady Joanne
Jaeger Tomblin, Adjutant General James A. Hoyer, Department of Veterans
Assistance Cabinet Secretary Rick Thompson, invited representatives from the
military branches and first responder units, and a number of West Virginia
Buddy Palla, a 36-year veteran and
Assistant State Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, was among those who helped
put up the decorations on trees honoring emergency services and service
members.
“Basically, it’s a Christmas tree
decorated with pictures of veterans from all the wars and conflicts,” he said.
“It’s pretty neat. I’ve never seen it before.”
Meanwhile, Captain Cindy Murphy
with the Clarksburg Fire Department made the trip to help place pictures of
first responders from around the state on their own tree.
“It’s really a very special honor
to be able to come down and be recognized by a man who makes so many decisions
in the state that do affect us emergency responders during a time period where
many times we do not get to spend time with our families,” she said. “We’re in
the service stations and we’re actually out on the road.”
She said that while people should
keep first responders in their thoughts during the Holiday
season, the dispatchers who assist them need to be appreciated as well.
“We very seldom ever get to thank
them for what they do and they have to work 24 hours, 365 days,” Murphy said.
“Somebody has to be there to answer the phone and that’s the same way with many
fire departments and many EMS departments, as
well as police stations. Somebody has to be there to be able to answer that
call when someone’s having the worst day of their life.”
The spirit of Monday’s event was to
not only thank those who work to keep others safe here, but also thank those in
the Armed Forces who do so from abroad and won’t be able to spend the Holiday’s
at home.
“They’re with their buddies over
there, but there’s nothing like being with family. It’s just very important
that we remember those who are serving our nation,” Palla said. “When we’re
gathered around the Christmas tree with our families, it’s important to
remember those folks, men and women, who can’t do the very same thing we’re
doing.”
The governor has several other Holiday
events planned through the end of the year.
