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On Saturday, October 4, there will be a morning rehearsal of the Honor Guards. At the conclusion of the rehearsal, lunch will be provided. There will also be an afternoon rehearsal of the Honor Guards and Pipe Bands in preparation for the Sunday National Memorial Service. All Honor Guard units are requested to attend both rehersals.
On Saturday, honor guard members can also be part of the daylong vigil in the National Memorial Chapel. Families will visit the Chapel to place roses in a Maltese Cross on the altar and light candles in honor of their loved ones.
On Sunday morning, October 5, honor guard members will join in a Sea of Blue through which the families will enter the campus. A procession of honor guard and bagpipe units will begin the national tribute.
Honor Guard and Pipe Band registration for the 2008 Memorial Weekend is now closed. If you are with a department who has a firefighter being honored this year please contact Eric Nagle as soon as possible at 301-447-1431. To be placed on the mailing list for a 2009 Memorial Weekend Honor Guard Registration Form, send an email with your request to enagle@firehero.org.
Honor Guard registration will take place on the Emmitsburg campus on Friday evening and Saturday morning. A mandatory rehearsal is scheduled for Saturday morning and afternoon.
Each Honor Guard unit will receive an Honor Guard handbook prior to the Memorial Weekend.
On-campus housing is on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to departments who have a fallen firefighter being honored in 2008. Local lodging is also available but goes fast, please make your reservations at a local area hotel as soon as possible.
The Foundation will provide on-campus meals on Saturday and Sunday. Frederick County fire service groups plan to sponsor an open house at the Emmitsburg firehouse on Friday night. We will provide more information on this event before the Memorial Weekend.