October 8, 2007 -- Today family, friends, and a whole mess of firefighters came to honor and memorialize retired TFD Battalion Chief Jim Hannity.
While there were obvious somber moments, this was not designed to be a day of sadness. This was a celebration of a man who obviously, touched and impacted many lives during his own.
Outside, Engine 2 stood in wait with black buntings attached. This would be the Chief's final ride. And it would be just as he wanted.
Inside, the TFD Honor Guard Pipers made ready with their pipes, final adjustments done.
Outside, Tacoma Fire Department Honor Guard studied the steps they would take to make this as perfect as it could be.
And then the doors opened, and something kind of special happened. Some may say it was the wind, but I was out there taking photos as all was being set up, and I tried to get a nice shot of the flags, but they hung limply on their poles. I didn't notice it til I was editing these photos, but in every shot, both of the flags are standing out for perfect shots. Wind? Maybe. But you don't see anyone's hair blowing, and nothing else is blowing around.
Maybe it's nothing, and maybe it is true that there are special things that happen when so many come together to honor a person loved and respected. Your call, but it sure made for great photo backdrops.
About this time, the procession lined up for the last ride. I followed the Honor Guard to get set up for the arrival of the Chief, at Mountain View Cemetery.
It had been chilly earlier in the day, but now it was just downright nice out. The stormy, rainy weather of the past few days was no where in sight, and all was proceeding beautifully.
A quick run through to make sure all was right, and then the rigs began arriving.
The casket was lifted carefully from the top of the engine, and lowered with care. 
After the graveside ceremony we all made our way to Local 31's Union Hall for the reception/wake. And again it was made clear that this was not a day to mourn, but to remember with fondness, laughter, and only a few tears.
Food was plentiful, and very good. And if you stayed thirsty, you had no one to blame but yourself, as there was much to choose from in the tubs of ice, or on counters and tables. The flowers, and tributes were the right touch.
Among the tributes, the amazing works of art the Chief made for the Honor Guard; the axes and poles. Obviously created with pride and love. They are carried by the TFD Honor Guard with those same feelings. The was a really nice plaque with personal words and a picture of him, along with several aged photos of the Jim, including a team photo from his youth. And amongst the tributes, we were asked to bring our HeroToHero.US mascot, Chief, (named for Chief Hannity) to the wake. **See more about H2H at the end of this post.
This was a wonderful day ... a perfect farewell for a family touched too deeply by loss. (Jim's sister, Donna, passed away just 2 weeks earlier. Her presence was very much felt today.)
Special thanks to TFD FF Kurt Gordon for taking some really nice photos of the interior of the church during the service. You always do a great job, Kurt!
There are a lot of pix, so I will post in order of events for the day. Remember, you can click "View Larger", then cut & paste any photo you like. I hope you see some you like, It was my honor to take them.
Rest in peace, Chief.
lj and the entire crew of HeroToHero.US
**To answer the questions about HeroToHero.US, our mascot, and the connection to Chief Hannity ...
HeroToHero.US is first responders giving the shirts off their backs to our desert deployed troops. This program honors out troops, firefighters and police. We have sent nearly 20,000 shirts to our troops ... many of them deployed form Fort Lewis ... and are in the middle of our 5th shirt drive, right now.
Annually, we do a (inter)national tour honoring our fallen and wounded fire, police & troops. The tour is 55 cities (honoring our family's fallen soldier, Stryker Sgt Jake Herring, whose high school football number was 55). It takes 6 weeks to cover the 10, 000 to 12,000 miles we drive on the tour.
When we leave, there is a big send off . Western Washington first responders have become an integral part of the send off ... and Jim Hannity was at the start & heart of it all. Due to Chief Hannity's input, when we leave, the overpasses on I-5, through Pierce County, are covered with fire personnel. Law enforcement escorts us on the road, along with troops in military vehicles.
It is really something to see, and truly shows the heart and camaraderie of our heroes. It also buoys us and shows the rest of the country that no matter our politics, or stance on the situation in the desert ... Washington State first responders DO support our troops, and they show their hearts when they do it. The send off was named this past year to pay our respects to the Chief for his support, it is now known as "Hannity's Crossing".
The next "Hannity's Crossing" will be at high noon on Saturday, May 17, 2008. Stay tuned to this journal as the date draws nearer for more info. Oh, and mark your calendars for March 8th, if you want to help with the HeroToHero.US troop morale campaign PackOut. This is when we pack the shirts out to the troops, and it is a lot of fun.
Our mascot, Chief, was named to honor Jim. Every pin on him was put there by the department it represents, from TFD, to Ground Zero, the Pentagon, Canada, and so many more. This is our 3rd main mascot ... we have what we call "stunt bears" so those we meet on the road can play with the mascot. This year the mascots were Chief & Rookie. Chief was honored, Rookie got his butt kicked. We're told that's pretty true to life. lol
At the next Hannity's Crossing, Chief will be retired for permanent display to the Tacoma Fire Department. We're pretty sure if Jim had been around then, he would have fashioned the display box, himself!
Jim Hannity was an Air Force vet, and proudly supported our troops. The following is a great example ...
Today before arriving at the reception, a contingent of firefighters went to his favorite hangout, at the 43rd St Pub. They were there to pay their respects to the Chief, and to hang an embassy flag sent to him from Iraq, over the top of the pub. It was a class act, and showed a lot about the heart of our firefighters, and the respect they had for the Chief. It also shows that the troops appreciated him as well.
On my way home, I took a roundabout route and swung by the pub to get a photo of the flag. As I pulled up, it hung limply on the pole. 
BTW, this was not meant to be a commercial for the cause, but a good number of Jim's family and friends asked about the connection.
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