Fallen hero

Thursday
After an uncertain start it became a beautiful sunny mild day. Its not often we have days in the mid-40s in January (tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer!), so I took my exercise outside and went walking at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. There's always plenty of interesting things to see - a number of lakes, beautiful trees and shrubs, beautifully sculpted monuments. But today it was the poignant scene of this little Christmas tree, lights, flags and the adjacent memorial stone which caught my attention. Captain Robin M. Zang Broxterman was Colerain Fire Captain Engine 102 (the first ever female fire captain in the Colerain Fire Department) and on April 4th 2008 she led her crew into a blazing home. She and a fellow officer perished in the blaze due to a structural collapse. She was 38, and left behind her two children, aged eight and ten. I remembered hearing about it at the time and seeing the moving images from the memorial service at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, with masses of people lining the streets and the arch made by the ladders of two fire trucks. I suggest you view the image in large so you can see some of the detail etched on the stone. So I dedicate this blip to all our firefighters and policemen, who day after day put their lives on the line for our safety and protection.

One year ago: Morning shadows