Firefighters' Funeral for Capt. Sean Whiten

A full honors service was held for Sean T. Whiten at the Stockdale Fire Hall this morning at 11:00 a.m.

P.S. The Valley Independent has two good articles, Aug. 15.

First, Fallen firefighter gets last call:

.... Members of more than 30 regional fire departments came to the fire hall in honor of Whiten, who had more than 20 years of service.

In a grass lot across the street from the hall, 127 fire trucks were lined up.

Marquee signs at surrounding businesses thanked him for his dedication to the job.

A couple of Roscoe fire trucks parked next to the fire hall were draped in black strips of cloth across the fire department name.

It was a quiet and somber scene as waves of uniformed firefighters filed into the funeral, many sobbing with their hats off and heads down.

Across a set of railroad tracks, two fire trucks sat facing each other with their ladders extended and crossing. An American flag hung between them.

Stockdale Fire Chief Al Marcy said more than 1,000 family, friends, firefighters and emergency personnel came to the service....

Also, Sean T. Whiten — a true hometown hero by my neighbor, Stacy Wolford:

.... A true hometown hero, Sean died Saturday doing what he loved — training and teaching other firefighters.

His death shocked and devastated his friends and fellow firefighters in the closeknit communities of Allenport, Elco, Roscoe and Stockdale. How could a man so full of life, so young, and so important to so many, die so soon?

Many residents in the community, including me, asked each other those questions as they gathered on their Roscoe porches and sidewalks to watch the parade of firefighters, police, first responders and fire trucks stream into town for Sean's funeral.

At that moment, I couldn't have been more proud to live in a small town....

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Thu. 08/14/08 09:09:44 PM
Categorized as Other & Photos.