Maryland Park Hosts Fifth Annual First Responder Tribute

King Memorial Park in Windsor Mill, Maryland, held its fifth annual National First Responders Day ceremony on the morning of Friday, Oct. 30, drawing police, fire and EMS personnel along with family members and students from nearby schools. Twenty-two agencies contributed to the color guard, and uniformed responders traveled from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. to attend.

Erich March, president of King Memorial Park, addressed the crowd at the event. "These ladies and gentlemen get up every morning, 365 days a year, 24/7, go and put themselves in harm's way," March said.

The ceremony took place in September's wake, the month marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks. The gathering honored the first responders lost that day alongside those lost during the current year.

Col. Michael A. Jackson, superintendent of the Maryland State Police, served as keynote speaker and spoke in the venue's Memorial Garden for Heroes. "Each name etched in stone represents a life dedicated to something greater than. The work that each of them performed, it represents someone who did not think twice to move towards danger to be of service," Jackson said. He added that "there's names we may recognize and there's some that we may not recognize, but we're here to honor them today. We know that behind every name in this Memorial garden, there is a family."

King Memorial Park has served the area's African American community for more than 50 years and describes itself as the largest African American-owned cemetery in the United States. The Memorial Garden for Heroes is dedicated to preserving the memory of first responders. Jackson closed by telling those gathered to care for themselves and their families.