Local 947 members,

As you may remember, the IAFF approved Greensboro firefighter Jesse Gray as a historic LODD earlier this year.  This came after research by Richard O'Brien confirmed FF Gray was a member of Local 947 in 1969 when he was killed in the line of duty. 

Local 947 and the PFFPNC partnered to pay for travel and accommodations for the Gray family to attend the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial ceremony.  As a result, the family of FF Jesse Gray arrived in Colorado Springs, Co today.  Lt. Jim Johnston has accompanied the family as our Local 947 representative. The family will receive the IAFF Medal of Honor and participate in the full Memorial ceremony as well as a special ceremony for historic LODDs. 

We have distributed a press release which you can read here.

It has been a humbling experience getting to know the adult children of Jesse Gray and hearing how their father's death impacted their family.  While this trip will never fill the loss Gray's family has experienced our hope is that it will provide them some small measure of comfort that FF Gray is receiving the ceremonial honors he deserves. 

Thanks to Richard O'Brien for spearheading this initiative, thanks to Lt. Johnston for assisting the family with travel, and thanks to VP Price for coordinating the travel logistics.  It has been a great job by all and this is something that our Local should be proud of.

Take Care and Stay Safe,

Dave