Vice President Joe Biden and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were among the
speakers who addressed thousands of mourners at a memorial for two firefighters
killed fighting the Station fire. (photo by Roselle Chen)

Thousands of people filed into Dodger Stadium Saturday morning to say goodbye to two fallen firefighters. Captain Tedmund Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo Quinones were killed while fighting the Station Fire on August 30.

The wail of bagpipes and the pound of drums resounded throughout the stadium as the California Professional Firefighters led the Los Angeles County Fire Department Honor Guard toward home plate. There, several speakers stepped up to the microphone to thank Hall and Quinones for making the ultimate sacrifice for their county.

The ceremony featured several speeches, including ones by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief P. Michael Freeman, and Vice President Joe Biden.

Despite the number and diversity of speakers, a common thread ran through the addresses: gratitude.

"We are humbled by [Hall and Quinones'] courage, by their dedication to humanity," said Schwarzenegger.

Hall and Quinones died when their truck went off the road as the Station fire closed in on Camp 16 in the Palmdale region, where the two men had been stationed. Officials currently believe that Hall and Quinones ordered others to find shelter while they attempted to find an exit route.

"Ted gave his life so that 70 others could have theirs," said Capt. John Santero during his reflection about Hall. "I can't think of anything more noble and courageous than that."

Speakers also praised Hall and Quinones' instincts. "Everything in human instinct tells us to run away from the danger, to head toward safety," Schwarzenegger said. "Unlike most of us, these heroes had a sense of duty that is greater than the pull of primal instinct."

At the time of their deaths, Hall and Quinones had worked for the Los Angeles County Fire Department for 26 and nine years respectively. Quinones was remembered for a tattoo on his back that said, "First in, last out."

While paying tribute to Hall and Quinones was the focus of the event, the sacrifice of the firefighters' families was not ignored. Biden spoke directly to them, mentioning time spent with the fallen firefighters' families before the ceremony.

"I've learned that memorials are for the living," Biden said. Reflecting on his own experiences when his wife and daughter died in a 1972
car accident, he added, "I say to the families that they will draw strength from this, if not today, next week, next month, or next year."

A letter from Quinones wife Loressa and the remarks of David Anderson, a close friend of Hall, thanked the audience, including thousands of uniformed firefighters, for their support.

"I would like to thank the firefighters who lined the overpasses while the family brought Ted home, the out-pouring of people who stopped and stood side by side, perfect strangers, and cried while Ted passed beneath them, and the two guys, all by themselves with their flag, sole individuals who stood at the side of freeway and saluted our friend Ted Hall," said Anderson.

As the memorial came to a close, fire department helicopters flew over the stadium to offer Hall and Quinones an aerial salute.

"Our services speak to many traditions," said Harold Schaitberger, the General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters. "Remembering and honoring our fallen are two of the most solemn and revered of those traditions."

After the salute, the helicopters proceeded in the direction of the Station Fire. The fire has been burning for two and a half weeks and is currently about 81 percent contained. It is the largest fire in Los Angeles County history. 3,000 firefighters are still battling it.

A co-worker and friend of Quinones, Firefighter Specialist Rob Morales, said the men's sacrifices would not be forgotten. "I witnessed something most men would never dream of. I witnessed my friend deliver on every promise he ever made."