Media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Tammy Chatman, Public Information Officer
414-791-6655
tammy.chatman@nationalemsmemorialservice.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National EMS Weekend of Honor Pays Tribute to Fallen EMS Heroes
Special events open to the public and media include:
National EMS Memorial Service & National EMS Memorial Bike Ride
Washington, D.C. (July 17) – The National EMS Memorial Service and the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride will pay tribute to our fallen EMS and air medical providers from throughout the United States during the 2023 National EMS Weekend of Honor, scheduled July 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington, Va. This year there are 59 honorees being recognized from 22 states. The 2023 list of honorees can be found at NEMSMS Honorees.
In addition to this special weekend, the National EMS Memorial Service is conducting its Moving Honors tribute. This endeavor involves a specially marked ambulance carrying this year’s installment of the temporary National EMS Memorial, known as the Tree of Life, that will be unveiled at the Weekend of Honor. This year’s procession began in Riverside, CA on June 22. It is making various stops over 28 days through at least 25 states as it progresses to Arlington, VA. The Moving Honors will be met by the National EMS Memorial Bike’s special Ride of Honor riders just outside of Arlington, VA. Together they will promenade into the Hyatt to launch the EMS Weekend of Honor and unveil the EMS Tree of Life memorial to the honoree families on Friday July 21.
There are many activities and events during the three-days including two events that the public and media are invited and encouraged to attend. Joining the Weekend of Honor will be various therapy and comfort dogs onsite to support families and attendees as well as specially trained grief support groups.
FRIDAY, July 21, 2022
National EMS Memorial Honor Guard Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider
• The National EMS Memorial Service (NEMSMS) Honor Guard will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery at 11:00 am (EDT). Four NEMSMS Honor Guard members, all of whom are female, have been handpicked for this ceremony.
Arrival & Ceremony of the National EMS Memorial Ride of Honor
• The National EMS Memorial Bike Ride celebrates the lives of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice as well as those EMS legacy personnel who have died of natural or non-employment-related causes. This year the organization is once again hosting a special one-day ride to recognize the 59 line-of-duty-death honorees for the Service.
• A procession of more bike riders, support personnel, and EMS vehicles, leading the special Moving Honors ambulance carrying the EMS Tree of Life, will arrive at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at approximately 4:00 p.m. (EDT), kicking off the 2023 Weekend of Honor.
• Riders are predominantly EMS professionals from across the U.S. Each of the riders wear dog tags bearing an honoree’s name, agency and date of their loss.
Upon arrival at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, a ceremony will unveil the 2023 EMS Tree of Life, followed by reading of the honoree names and presentation of dog tags to the families. Each rider will meet the family in front of the honoree’s biography to present one of their two dog tags worn during the ride – an emotionally powerful part of the Weekend of Honor. The rider will keep the other dog tag as a lifetime reminder of the honoree’s sacrifice.
SATURDAY, July 22, 2022
National EMS Memorial Service
• The National EMS Memorial Service, a formal ceremony to honor fallen EMS professionals who have died in the line of duty, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.
• The entire service will be livestreaming via our website and Facebook.
• Hundreds of EMS personnel from across the country will travel to the Washington, D.C. area to participate in the service, along with families, friends, co-workers of current and past honorees, dignitaries, EMS and business leaders, and government officials.
• All participants in the service will be in dress uniform, flight suits, or similar appropriate attire.
• Honor Guards, along with bagpipe and drum corps will volunteer their time and services throughout the weekend.
• An American flag, flown over the nation’s capitol, will be presented to each honoree’s family along with the National EMS Memorial Service medallion.
• During the service, a National Moment of Silence will be called at 6:00 p.m. (EDT), so that EMS agencies across the U.S. can pause simultaneously for several seconds of radio silence to pay respect and remember the fallen—together.
• The year’s honorees are highlighted in pictures during the ceremony and a special video collage of the Moving Honors is played, followed by an uplifting Candlelight Ceremony that concludes the service.
• The National EMS Memorial “Tree of Life” will be on display. Individual bronze oak leaves are engraved with the name of the fallen honorees. The Tree of Life is a temporary memorial until a permanent memorial is established.
Jana Williams, president of the National EMS Memorial Service shared her thoughts on the upcoming events, “”We gather at the National EMS Memorial Service and Weekend of Honor each year to recognize the dedicated men and women who have given their lives in service to others. Their unwavering commitment to serving others embodies the true spirit of EMS. This weekend serves as a solemn reminder of the challenges faced by EMS and air medical professionals daily, and it is our duty to ensure their memory lives on. Together, we stand united in gratitude and remembrance, offering solace and support to their loved ones. We pledge to always remember the sacrifices made by these selfless individuals.”
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About National EMS Memorial Bike Ride
The mission is to honor EMS personnel by organizing and implementing long distance cycling events that memorialize and celebrate the lives of those who serve every day, those who have become sick or injured while performing their duties, and those who have died in the line of duty. Vist us at www.NEMSMBR.org.
About National EMS Memorial Service
The organization’s mission is to honor those in EMS from air and ground who have made the ultimate sacrifice having died in the line of duty and it is the organization congressionally sanctioned to conduct the annual service. Visit us at www.national-ems-memorial.org.
Editor’s Note: High-res images can be downloaded from Dropbox at:
Image #1: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9e99uwwsuas09nj/Tomb%20of%20the%20Unknown-40.jpg?dl=0
Image #2: https://www.dropbox.com/s/icnbt6ndzdm15ru/NEMSMBR%20Arrival-8%20%281%29.jpg?dl=0
Image #3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vkv6hejqvdk8ega/NEMSMS%20_72.JPG?dl=0
Press Release:
2023 Weekend of Honor Press Release
