American Heroes Park was the stage today for an unveiling of a highly anticipated memorial that has been in the works for years. The Bellevue Volunteer Firefighters Memorial was presented for the first time in a private ceremony for past and current members of the Bellevue Fire Department.
Prior to COVID, Jim Thompson and Dave Szymanski started work on a plan to have a memorial honoring our past Bellevue Volunteer Firefighters, past Bellevue part-time firefighters, current Bellevue Firefighters and future Bellevue Firefighters. They found space at American Heroes Park and began fundraising. However, COVID put things on hold, but Thompson and Szymanski still had their dream.
In the years following the COVID shutdown, the pair started working on the memorial again and enlisted some help from other volunteers. Brian Koontz was one of these volunteers. According to Koontz, both Thompson and Szymanski were having some health issues but still wanted to complete the memorial. “I started working on funding and, unfortunately, Jim and Dave both passed away before they could complete it,” Koontz said. “We were able to secure funding for the statue and get it ordered.”
The memorial is located to the south of the 9/11 memorial and is positioned to face it. The firefighter portrayed in the statue is watching over the brave men and women who gave their lives on September 11, 2001. Visitors to the statue may notice the shield on the firefighters shows “343” – that is in remembrance to the 343 firefighters who gave their lives on September 11th.
The plaque at the base of the memorial reads:
“This monument is dedicated to the City of Bellevue and Eastern Sarpy County Fire Protection District’s first responders – firefighters, EMTs & paramedics, police officers and Sheriff deputies – who protected and saved lives & property in the city of Bellevue and Sarpy County, Nebraska.
This monument honors those brave and unselfish men and women from the Volunteers (circa 1926 to 2010), the career protectors who followed including the current fire & rescue personnel and future generations.
Let this monument forever honor the sacrifices and dedication of those in the past, the present, and let it serve as an inspiration for future generations.”
After the ceremony, attendees were invited to the Bellevue Volunteer Firefighters Hall in Olde Towne to socialize.
