CHARLESTON, W. Va. — With the Holiday season approaching, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin decorated recognition trees to honor veterans and first responders.
He, along with First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin, Adjutant General James A. Hoyer, Department of Veterans Assistance Cabinet Secretary Rick Thompson, invited representatives from the military branches and first responder units, and a number of West Virginia veterans to the reception room at the Capitol for the celebration.
Buddy Palla, a 36-year veteran and Assistant State Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, was among those who helped put up the decorations on trees honoring emergency services and service members.
“Basically, it’s a Christmas tree decorated with pictures of veterans from all the wars and conflicts,” he said. “It’s pretty neat. I’ve never seen it before.”
Meanwhile, Captain Cindy Murphy with the Clarksburg Fire Department made the trip to help place pictures of first responders from around the state on their own tree.
“It’s really a very special honor to be able to come down and be recognized by a man who makes so many decisions in the state that do affect us emergency responders during a time period where many times we do not get to spend time with our families,” she said. “We’re in the service stations and we’re actually out on the road.”
She said that while people should keep first responders in their thoughts during the Holiday season, the dispatchers who assist them need to be appreciated as well.
“We very seldom ever get to thank them for what they do and they have to work 24 hours, 365 days,” Murphy said. “Somebody has to be there to answer the phone and that’s the same way with many fire departments and many EMS departments, as well as police stations. Somebody has to be there to be able to answer that call when someone’s having the worst day of their life.”
The spirit of Monday’s event was to not only thank those who work to keep others safe here, but also thank those in the Armed Forces who do so from abroad and won’t be able to spend the Holiday’s at home.
“They’re with their buddies over there, but there’s nothing like being with family. It’s just very important that we remember those who are serving our nation,” Palla said. “When we’re gathered around the Christmas tree with our families, it’s important to remember those folks, men and women, who can’t do the very same thing we’re doing.”
The governor has several other Holiday events planned through the end of the year.