CINCINNATI -- "Oscar did what he was trained to do -- save lives," Cincinnati Fire Department Chief Robert Wright said at Thursday's memorial service for Oscar Armstrong III, who died in the line of duty Friday.

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Fallen Firefighter Eulogized

Hundreds of firefighters from across the region -- some even came from Canada -- paid their respects Thursday morning at St. Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati for fallen firefighter Oscar Armstrong III.

The morning began with a procession that started at a suburban Cincinnati church. Once it arrived near downtown shortly before 10 a.m., hundreds of other firefighters, a color guard and bagpipers joined in as the procession marched toward St. Xavier.

More firefighters, curious onlookers and grateful Cincinnati citizens lined Sycamore Street as the march included the typical traditions that often accompany tributes paid to those killed in the line of duty.

"Oscar's death is an extraordinary tragedy," Wright said at the service. "He is a hero."

Wright paraphrased from one of the great writers of the 19th century, Henry David Thoreau.

"Thoreau once remarked, 'When you bury a hero, a crop of heroes is sure to crop up,'" he said. "No words of consolation, no matter how carefully selected, can fill the voids in our hearts and in our minds. The Cincinnati Fire Department will always cherish the memory of Oscar Armstrong III."

Others were just as eloquent:

• Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken: "To the citizens of this great city: We are mourning today, and we will continue to mourn. But I ask that you remember Oscar Armstrong III's spirit. We can make ourselves better. We can make our neighborhoods better. And we can make our city better, if we remember and honor the memory of Oscar Armstrong III."
• The Rev. Damon Lynch Jr.: "The father did not die a rioutous death that was not noble or honorable. He died a noble death, a heroic death. He was fighting for the property and lives he was supposed to serve."
• Family friend and fellow firefighter Ron Bracey: "Oscar died a poor man because he gave. Oscar died a rich man because he had so much to give. The true measure of a man isn't what he has, it's what he gives. Oscar, I find myself telling people not how you died, but how you lived."
• Fire Chaplain Fr. Mike Paraniuk: "Oscar is now on assignment in Heaven's Firehouse, where there's only one chief. And when Oscar's on duty, the fires of Hell will never touch the gates of Heaven."

Many others spoke, and the theme remained the same. Armstrong was remembered as a man who was always seeking knowledge, whether about firefighting or anything else that could have helped him outsmart his firefighters and friends. To lighten the somber mood, Bracey and others recalled some of the funnier things Armstrong did before he died at age 25.

The International Association of Black Professional Firefighters and the International Assocation of Firefighters presented Armstrong's mother, Annette Armstrong, with a medal of honor and a medal of valor, respectively. She also was presented with her son's badge.

Armstrong left behind two sons, both his parents, a brother and a sister. Also, his fiancee is pregnant with his third child.

Columbus Firefighters Cover No. 9

Firefighters from Columbus covered Firehouse No. 9 Thursday so Armstrong's former colleagues could participate in the procession and attend the funeral, Cincinnati television station WLWT reported. Firefighters from all over the region came to town, either to attend the services or to cover shifts so that more than 800 Cincinnati firefighters could attend them.

WLWT also reported Thursday that the Columbus crew covering at No. 9 was making its third run of the morning shortly after noon.

Armstrong's death was the first in the line of duty for a Cincinnati firefighter in 22 years. All Cincinnati firefighters will wear a '61' sticker on their helmets, commemorating Armstrong and his badge number.