September 26, 2014

 

Alex Forrest

On behalf of our family, I would like to express our gratitude to you and the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg for ensuring that Kenneth Merritt was honoured as one of the 168 names added this year to the IAFF Fallen Fighters Memorial in Colorado Springs.  It is a great comfort to know that his memory will live on long after we are gone.

A special thanks to our flag presenter, TJ Belluk, our family escort, Rob Labossiere and yourself.  My Father would have been pleased that you made us feel like we were part of the UFFW family.

The memorial service was a very moving experience that certainly touched our hearts.  It is a memory that we will cherish forever.

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet so many of the families and share memories of our loved ones.  I cannot begin to describe the compassion shown to the families of the Fallen Fire Fighters by members of the IAFF.  It was very obvious that each family’s loss of a loved one was also a tremendous loss felt by all IAFF members.

I think that the following short note that I put on the internet best expresses our feelings

It was an extremely emotional moment as my Father’s name was one of the one hundred sixty eight added to the “Fallen Firefighters Memorial” in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  This beautiful monument honours the brave members of the International Association of Fire Fighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

On April 3, 1983, Kenneth Merritt died of a work related illness. The inclusion of my Father’s name in this year’s memorial service and meeting some of the families of the fallen heroes brought back the pain of losing a loved one.  The Memorial Wall will ensure that the sacrifice that these men and women made is recognized and will always be remembered.

Our sincere thanks to the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, the International Association of Firefighters, the Colorado Springs Fire Department, and all the volunteers who made this such a memorable occasion.

 

Sincerely

Keith Merritt