Even amidst more than 12,000 mourners at Reliant Stadium, one could hear a pin drop at times on Wednesday during a memorial service to honor four firefighters who perished in Friday's tragic blaze at the Southwest Inn motel.
Standing before a massive American flag propped up by fire engines, Texas governor Rick Perry and Houston mayor Annise Parker offered touching opening remarks before friends and family took to the podium to share fond memories of captain Matthew Renaud, engineer operator Robert Bebee and firefighters Robert Garner and Anne Sullivan during a three-hour ceremony.
“Flames don’t discriminate," Perry told the crowd during his brief speech in the cavernous stadium where thousands usually cheer for the Houston Texans. "It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned veteran or a fresh graduate of the academy. If you’re in the wrong place, at the wrong fire, tragedy can still strike.”
Parker followed with a brief introduction of the four victims. There was 24-year-old Sullivan, the rookie who didn't want to be just a firefighter, "but a Houston firefighter." Bebee, 41, was an avid animal lover who "couldn't pass up a stray dog," while 35-year-old captain Renaud was known for his unwavering loyalty to the Houston Astros.
The mayor described U.S. Air Force vet Robert Garner as a bright young man who once “struggled to find his place,” only to find the perfect home inside Station 68 of the Houston Fire Department.
"It is always too soon to say goodbye to a fallen hero and it breaks our hearts to say goodbye to four of them," Parker told the crowd, holding back her tears. "The oath isn't to come when it's convenient or when it's safe . . . It's just to come and serve."
Firefighter Remembrances
One of four individuals representing the victims' families, Renaud's uncle Tony Rocha struggled to keep his emotions at bay as he read a text message he received from his nephew the day before his death. The fire captain announced he had just passed an important HFD exam that would yield a major promotion.
Ian Kim explained his stepbrother Robert Bebee's passion for the job, saying that he died "doing what he loved most — being a Houston firefighter."
"It is always too soon to say goodbye to a fallen hero; it breaks our hearts to say goodbye to four of them."
Sullivan's mother, Mary Sullivan, recalled the day her then 17-year-old daughter announced her interest in becoming a firefighter. "Every mother's dream," she joked.
Garner's sister Nicole gave a more light-hearted eulogy with a humorous anecdote detailing her brother's multiple attempts to join the fire department. He finally made it to the HFD in 2010, graduating second in his class.
"I’ve never seen my brother crack open a book to study for anything, but for the fire academy," she said. "He was going to read every word twice."
HFD chief Terry Garrison presented each family with one of four American flags ordered to fly above the U.S. Capitol on Friday.
After remembrances from fellow firefighters, HFD honor guard officials rang a series of solemn alarm bells before a procession of bagpipe players and drummers performed "Amazing Grace."
An estimated 3,000 HPD firefighters gathered to pay their respects at Reliant on Wednesday.
