|
On August 11, approximately 30 children ranging in ages from five to 18 years old who are members of the Koriyama Children's Choir of Japan sang their hearts out to show their thanks to our Department members who provided search and rescue assistance to their home country following the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the island nation on March 11, 2011. This fundraising concert and dinner, hosted by the Centenary United Methodist Church, coincided with the annual week-long Nisei Week Japanese festival held in Little Tokyo. Community members thought it was a fitting time to express their appreciation to our Department for the support we provided to Japan in the aftermath of the catastrophic disaster.
Despite a 16-hour flight, the children were excited to meet our first responders in attendance, which included USAR 103's Fire Captain Dave Norman, Fire Fighter Specialists Felipe Marcial and Manuel Urquiza and Fire Fighter Gabriel Larios. Before the concert began, Urquiza and Larios, who were both deployed to Japan, were interviewed by Japanese news agencies, both video and print, to discuss their experiences responding to the disaster. This was followed by a presentation of flowers to our personnel by the children, who spoke in English and Japanese about our Department members' professionalism and what an honor it was to have LACoFD come to them in their time of need. At the conclusion of their speech, the entire 200-member audience gave a standing ovation to our heroes. "It was a very powerful moment," says Norman of the standing ovation. "Not only was that representative of our program, but also of our Department. It says a lot about our CA-TF2 members who recognize that they represent our Department and do so with such professionalism."
While our members were able to enjoy the concert – "The kids did a heck of a job," says Norman– they were unfortunately unable to attend the dinner as they were called to respond to a major traffic collision on the 101 freeway. Battalion Chief Larry Collins, who was also part of the team that responded to the Japan disaster, remarked, "The children in the choir are remarkable for their talents, and for the friendship and graciousness they and their parents and adult supporters have shown to our Department and personnel, even as their home towns struggle to recover from the tsunami catastrophe."
While our members were able to enjoy the concert – "The kids did a heck of a job," says Norman– they were unfortunately unable to attend the dinner as they were called to respond to a major traffic collision on the 101 freeway. Battalion Chief Larry Collins, who was also part of the team that responded to the Japan disaster, remarked, "The children in the choir are remarkable for their talents, and for the friendship and graciousness they and their parents and adult supporters have shown to our Department and personnel, even as their home towns struggle to recover from the tsunami catastrophe."
|
