What an Awesome Retirement Gift

The guys at the fire station where Ken was serving when he retired (after 30 years) had a retirement party for him on Saturday. These men are his brothers because that is what they are, living and working together the way they do. The photo below is what they presented him. This shadow box contains his life with the Houston Fire Department. Ken joined the fire service at 19 and served the citizens of Houston in some of the hottest fire stations in the city for a little over 30 years. We were married in 1986 and just a year later he was severely injured when a wall collapsed on him and several other fire fighters. He suffered a broken back, his ear had to be reattached, his ankle was reconstructed and they had to do some work on both knees. But as soon as the doctor cleared him, he returned to duty even though more times than not he is in some kind of pain. When they say that being a firefighter is a calling, they are not kidding. As they say, Firefighters, Police Officers and EMTs/Paramedics run into situations the rest of us run from. I am very proud of my husband.
PS Don't tell him that, he might think I feel he is something special and we can't have that! LOL

The shadow box background is a wood siding material (that is what it looks like) that was burned to make it look like a house fire. There are flickering red lights to make it look like fire burning through the wall of the house. He drove the ladder truck, hence the axe. There are also two shields from his helmets, one from Station 19 where he drove the ladder truck and Station 96 where he also drove the ladder truck. He had also worked at 9s, 74s, 17s and 35s but he never kept the shields when he transferred to another station. You will see his two badges, one as a pipe man and the second when he was promoted to driving a ladder truck. There are also the two patches of the fire department. The one on the left is the one that was used when he first joined, the one on the right is what they are using now. The plaque says:
Presented to Kendal C Bryan
for over 30 years of dedicated and faithful
service to the Houston Fire Department
September 28, 1978 - May 25, 2009
Thank You from
The Crew of Fire Station 96 D Shift

To the crew of Fire Station 96/D Shift, thank you. Good Luck, Stay Safe and God Speed.

Judy Bryan