Boiling Spring Fire Marshall Jeff Nelson and several Fire District fireman went to New York City in April 2011, to bring back to South Carolina a piece of the Twin Towers for a memorial to honor the first responders who died trying to rescue people who were trapped in the World Trade Center Towers.
They were given a rusty, jagged piece of steel, part of an I-Beam, that was removed from the World Trade Center site.
An American flag was wrapped around it, and it was placed in the back of a Fire District pickup truck for the trip back to Greenville County.
Members of the motorcycle group known as the “Patriot Guards” escorted the truck to the Boiling Springs Fire District headquarters on Pelham Road.
The steel I-beam was placed on a trailer and every day some of the firemen would pull the trailer in front of the building so the public could see the steel beam. The firemen placed a pair of rubber boots so people could place contributions inside the boots.
The Boiling Springs Fire District displayed the I-beam artifact in the Armed Forces Parade, May 18th, 2011, and parked the trailer on Main Street after the parade for the public to view and to also make contributions for the memorial.
The Fire District wanted to dedicate the Memorial on the Tenth Anniversary of 9-11, but they were not able to raise the funds to pay for the Memorial at this time.
Friends of the Fire District came to the rescue. Instead of money, some of the items that were needed were donated, firemen worked on the landscaping on their off days, several companies donated building supplies, another company donated the iron fence, another donated three flag poles and soon the Memorial Plaza started to take on the appearance of something special.
Wednesday, July 4th, the 236th Birthday of this great country, the Boiling Springs Fire District held the World Trade Center Memorial Dedication Ceremony at the First District headquarters.
Fire Chief Steve Graham welcome everyone to the ceremony.
The American Flag, South Carolina State Flag and the firemen’s flag were all raised by members of the Fire District Honor Guard in a solemn ceremony.
After the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, the National Anthem was sung by Keri Heaton Lewis.
Greenville County Council Chairman Butch Kervin was the keynote speaker. He said, “This memorial shows that not much has changed since America won its independence form England 236 years ago. If we want to defend our freedom, we have to be prepared, we have to be vigilant and we have to fight for it.”
House District 21 Rep. Phyllis Henderson stated, “Everyday when we drive by this Memorial, we will be remembering the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom.”
A reception was held inside the fire station by the Boiling Springs Fire District Auxiliary.