In 2020, like most in-person gatherings, the National EMS Weekend of Honor, National EMS Memorial Service, and National EMS Memorial Bike Rides were cancelled due to COVID. While valiant efforts and virtual events helped to fill the void, the lack of gathering to honor EMS left a mark.
The host organizations are 100% led by volunteers and the Weekend of Honor requires hundreds of volunteers, nearly all of whom are active EMS providers in their communities. They, along with families, friends, and colleagues, could not come together in 2020 to grieve and honor the fallen which made the impact of the pandemic more difficult. Having no permanent memorial to visit at another time further complicated this. Organizers also recognize that many families of honorees and volunteers are still unable to travel today or must remain to work in their communities as staffing gaps continue.
The past several years’ Tree of Life installments were built by Tom and Jenn Liebman at their home near Dallas, TX. As thoughts swirled how to transport this “precious cargo” to D.C. for the Weekend of Honor that first year in Dallas, ideas and dreams turned into a plan when the Weekend of Honor’s legacy sponsor Global Medical Response stepped in with a donated ambulance and staffing for the trek across multiple states. The event was so successful, organizers have repeated each year since with a new and expanded footprint each time. Last year they were excited to take the effort coast-to-coast across the Continental US, while plans this year include HI and AK.
Respectfully dubbed Moving Honors, the procession this year will make its way from AK and HI to the Seattle, WA area to near Dallas, TX where this year’s Tree of Life installment is loaded and then continues through several states to Arlington, VA over multiple days. The Tree of Life housed inside this specially decorated ambulance is not removed until it is officially unveiled at the start of the Weekend of Honor. A Tree of Life replica is available for viewing at stops along the way.
The goal of the Moving Honors procession is three-fold. First, is to bring awareness and additional recognition to the honorees. Second, is to provide broader access to the Tree of Life to allow anyone to pay respects plus send messages of hope forward to the honoree families and EMS colleagues at the other end of its journey. And finally in a much smaller capacity, it is an opportunity for fundraising to support the National EMS Memorial Service, allowing it to continue its mission to recognize fallen EMS and air medical individuals and Always Remember.
The Moving Honors ambulance is escorted by various first responder agencies along its journey and makes stops along a defined route. The procession ends its journey when it arrives in our nation’s capital on July 18. The next day, it processes into Arlington, VA led by the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, officially kicking off the Weekend of Honor. Organizers encourage those who visit the Moving Honors ambulance to “fill it” with messages which are then displayed for those in attendance at the Weekend of Honor. Industry organizations that support these efforts include: American Ambulance Association (AAA), Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), International College of Advanced Practice Paramedics (I-CAPP), National Association of EMS State Officials (NASEMSO), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of EMS, American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).
