Recognizing military firefighters

VFW Magazine, June-July, 2002

Of all the jobs in the armed forces that have entailed loss of life, few compare with military firefighters for lack of public recognition. So we thought it might be a nice idea to find out more about their sacrifices.

If you served in a firefighting unit (fulltime or ad hoc) and know of an instance where a military firefighter lost his life in war or peace, on land or aboard ship, please let us know. Though some ship fires are fairly well known (Lexington, Wasp, Franklin, Bunker Hill Leyte, Bennington, Oriskany, Forrestal, Enterprise and Iowa), ascertaining which sailors died actually fighting the fires is the problem.

Please send any information to: VFW Magazine, Ann: Military Firefighters, 406 West 34th Street, Kansas City MO 64111.