On the weekend of September 6, 7, and 8 members from 22 LAFD Fire Stations partnered with the University of Southern California (USC) to bring military veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project to Los Angeles for a weekend of camaraderie, fun and football.
Our Wounded Warrior guests were hosted by our firefighters from Fire Stations 4, 5, 10, 11, 14, 15, 21, 26, 29, 33, 39, 46, 62, 69, 78, 88, 89, 92, 94, 95, 98, and 102. Each of these stations bought a table and more than 300 LAFD members and their guests attended a dinner banquet at the USC Galen Center on Friday evening where they were introduced to the Wounded Warriors they were hosting for the weekend.
The evening was led by master of ceremonies Steve Ruda. The USC Marching Band came into the banquet room and played several songs to start the evening off. USC legend J.K. McKay was there to speak to the group, and there were presentations made to each of the warriors in attendance.
In addition to honoring the warriors from the Wounded Warrior Project, we were able to acknowledge two decorated WWII veterans in attendance. Joseph Eszes, United States Army (father-in-law of LAFD Captain Frank Semenza) and Vita Maggipinto, United States Navy (Retired LAFD engineer who fought and was injured during the Battle of Normandy). We were honored to recognize these two heroes.
After a great Friday evening honoring our veterans, our LAFD members picked up the Wounded Warriors downtown on Saturday morning and took them to breakfast. Each station put their own spin on treating these heroes to a day “in the life of a firefighter” and camaraderie at the fire stations. Although unconfirmed, rumors had these warriors up on the end of aerial ladders, riding in helicopters, tillering, and maybe even driving the truck – but you can’t believe everything you hear. One thing is for certain, our LAFD members are a class act!
While all this was going on, Master BBQ chefs Mark Curry (29-C) and Greg Pascolla (80-C) were hard at work cooking up a feast of Bratwurst, Chicken, Ribs, beans and coleslaw at the tailgate near the steps to the Los Angeles Coliseum. The crews from 26’s and 33’s provided logistical support ,setting up shade, tables, and a couple hundred chairs for the event. Fire Station 15 worked their usual phenomenal game day parking magic so the Wounded Warriors and their chaperones were able to park at the station across from the USC campus. Beginning early in the afternoon the feast was on and several hundred people filtered through the tailgate BBQ where the Wounded Warriors, the USC Military Veterans Alumni, and our own LAFD members shared some great food, drink, and stories while honoring the sacrifices of our military heroes.
On Saturday evening, the stations and their hosted warriors headed into the Coliseum for the USC Football game. During the game, the LAFD members (including some of our own military veterans) and the Wounded Warriors were brought out onto the field in front of the 90,000 spectators where our members awarded each of the Warriors a “Hero of the Game” medal, which was placed around their neck. A highlight of the game was the standing ovation the Wounded Warriors and our LAFD Firefighters received as they were coming off the field.
On Sunday morning, after spending the night at their respective host fire stations, the Wounded Warriors traveled to in San Pedro. Not to be outdone, Fire Station 112 hosted a top shelf brunch for the Wounded Warriors and their guests on their patio overlooking the Port. Each of the LAFD Fire Boats, along with our own LAFD Fire Hogs conveniently arrived at 112’s to further honor these heroes at this event – and after breakfast, the warriors were treated to a tour and a ride on LAFD Boat 2.
In keeping with the highest standards and traditions of the LAFD, the Wounded Warriors were truly blown away by the respect, dedication and professionalism displayed by our members during this inaugural Wounded Warrior Weekend. The event was a success in many ways, and we’re all looking forward to an even bigger and better event in 2014.
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View the photos from this event by clicking here.
By Al Poirier, Captain FS 5-C
