The caskets of the 9 South Carolina firefighters killed in a tragic fire are removed from the North Charleston Coliseum following a memorial service Friday, June 22, 2007. Chris Keane/Reuter

Thousands attend service honoring 9 South Carolina firefighters

By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press Writer

Nine caskets lined the front of a coliseum Friday as thousands of firefighters from across the nation, their hats in their hands, honored nine colleagues killed in a furniture store blaze.

With an orchestra playing, uniformed escorts walked the men's wives, siblings and children to their seats in a long procession of red carnations, tears and hugs.

The fire Monday night created the single largest loss of firefighters' lives since the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Beside the caskets, the faces of its victims looked out proudly from large photos: Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48; Capt. Mike Benke, 49; Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34; Mark Kelsey, 40; Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37; Michael French, 27; James "Earl" Drayton, 56; Brandon Thompson, 27; and Melvin Champaign, 46.

Fire Chief Rusty Thomas, the son of a firefighter, told personal stories about his men, pausing to say each name before launching into tales that often drew burst of laughter from the crowd as he imitated their voices and mannerisms.

He recalled one fire call with Drayton in 1977. It was about 3 a.m.

"He's hollering, 'Rusty, get this thing going! ... That's my house!'" the chief said to laughter.

Kelsey, he recalled, had the energy of the "Energizer Bunny." Hutchinson was nicknamed "Lightning."

"It's not because he moved so fast," Thomas said. "My dad said, 'Lightning would have to strike around him, to get him to move.'"

Thomas also issued a challenge to the remainder of his department. "The challenge is that we'll never forget," he said. "When we go to work, we will never forget these nine great heroes that worked for the City of Charleston Fire Department and served this community like no one else has ever served."

A firehouse bell was struck 15 times and bagpipers played taps.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. told the crowd that the men were heroes.

"It was their calling, it was their training, it was their duty and, unflinchingly, without hesitation, with extreme courage, they did it," he said. "They are public servants of the highest order. They want to serve. They want to help. They want to save. And they want to protect."

Gov. Mark Sanford said questions may always linger about a higher purpose behind the deaths, but that the men proved their courage Monday night.

"Who we are crucially depends on what we're willing to stand up for in life. In short, are we willing to walk the walk?" he said. "They walked their walk right into the company of angels and to heaven's gate."

The first of the nine funerals was planned for later Friday.

Before the memorial service, a procession of about 100 fire trucks wound through streets lined with mourners in the firefighters' honor, passing the charred warehouse and several of the city's firehouses.

"When we lose one, it affects us all," said Lt. James Diego, who drove from the Newport News, Va., Fire Department with several colleagues. "Most of us have suffered some sort of loss in our careers, and it's a way to pay back the people who supported us when we had a line of duty death."

Black bunting hung over the lighted signs around the packed 9,000-seat arena. With arena full, about 200 people gathered to watch a broadcast of the service at a convention center adjacent to the coliseum, and 100 firefighters, Red Cross workers and neighbors watched on a big screen set up outside.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the gathering that the nine firefighters "demonstrated the same bravery our nation witnessed on September 11."

"The tragedy of Monday reminds us that we live in a world in which danger is all around us," he said.

Chertoff also read a message from President Bush and the first lady. "Their willingness to sacrifice for others demonstrated the true meaning of heroism," Chertoff read. "Each of the fallen will forever hold a cherished place in our hearts."