Fallen firefighters from throughout the state were honored at this week’s Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial Concert on the Square that was held in Ocala.
The annual memorial gathering recognizes fallen firefighters from throughout the state of Florida for their sacrifices. Firefighters, rescue personnel, and family members of the fallen firefighters were all in attendance for this year’s celebration.
On Wednesday, the evening began with a Walk of Honor through the streets of the square, beginning at the intersection of E Silver Springs Boulevard and SE Magnolia Avenue.
During this year’s memorial, the following 17 firefighters were honored:
- David L. Abernathy (1998), Palm Beach Fire Rescue
- Walter “Pete” Gee (2010), Fort Myers Shores Fire Protection & Rescue Service District
- Randall M. Donaldson, Jr. (2016), Osceola County Fire Rescue
- Jeremy J. Sanders (2017), Orlando International Airport Fire Rescue
- William C. Donaldson (2018), Sarasota County Fire Department
- Dwain S. Bradshaw (2019), Escambia County Fire Rescue
- Jeremy J. McKay (2019), Clay County Fire Rescue
- Scott R. Neumann (2019), Martin County Fire Rescue
- Anthony C. Christensen (2020), City of Naples Fire Rescue
- Donald DiPetrillo (2020), Seminole Tribe of Florida Fire Rescue
- James G. Gunter (2020), Cape Coral Fire Department
- Brian S. Smith (2020), St. George Island Volunteer Fire Department
- Thomas M. Barber (2021), Jacksonville Fire Rescue
- Michelle Clore (2021), Cape Coral Fire Department
- Lloyd Losinger (2021), Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District
- Jimmy D. Riley, Jr. (2021), Plant City Fire Rescue
- Eric M. Siena (2021), Orange County Fire Rescue
- Herve Thomas (2021), Monroe County Fire Rescue
Honor Guard teams from throughout the state participated in the Walk of Honor, and musical accompaniment was provided by pipes and drums.
Following the memorial, a social media post from Ocala Fire Rescue stated, “Thank you to all who attended the Fallen Firefighter Memorial at the Downtown Square. Your presence shined a light among the shadow left by the absence of those gone too soon.”