RICHMOND, Va. -- This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Commonwealth Public Safety Memorial, which honors law enforcement members, EMS workers and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
When the wall, which stands in the middle of Capitol Square, was first dedicated in 2014, there were 850 names engraved. Today, there are 964.
Those names include Richmond’s first Black fire captain Harvey Hicks and Hanover County Lieutenant Brad Clark who was hit and killed by a reckless driver in 2018.
This year, 27 new names will be added to the wall, and Hanover native Justin Bishop is responsible for the engraving.
"This worked out really great," said Bishop.
Engraving has become the owner of Bishop Stone and Metal Arts' form of art.
“I love it," said Bishop. "It's great. I get to see finished product every day."
He knows his job may be quick, but its impact is lasting.
"It's something that's the, you know, sort of a period on people's lives," explained Bishop. "You know, the very final thing that honors them in a way, so that means a lot to me. I take it very seriously."
The memorial reminds Captain William Spindle of the risk he takes every day at his job.
"The fire service is by far the absolute best career that anyone could ever have," said the Richmond fire marshal. “My career you know, pretty much is on the backs of all these people who are here on the wall, you know, I don't want to take their sacrifice for granted.”
Spindle has visited this space where families, friends and coworkers of these heroes come to reflect many times.
But this time is different because it's his cousin whose name is being added to the wall.
"His name is TyVaugh Eldridge," said Spindle. "He was like my superhero.”
The 25-year-old was just starting recruitment school with Chesterfield County Fire and EMS on July 1st, 2021 when he collapsed during a training run.
He died just two days later on his 26th birthday.
"We just know how much potential he had to be such a great person and for the world to experience," said an emotional Spindle. "He was going to do amazing things for not only Chesterfield, but every community, every space that he touched.”
TyVaughn’s death rocked the fire service, but it hit his family and older cousin even harder.
"Gone too soon is a cliche that's not, not even fitting," said Spindle. "He was more of a angel on earth. Although he was coming behind me, in a sense, it was, he was someone that I looked up to. He was someone that I aspired to be like. Strong, like Ty, and be like Ty."
While TyVaughn never got to rush into a burning building, his life has become a symbol of and model for new recruits.
His name is now spelled out right below Captain Harvey Hicks, a man who broke boundaries for this city.
"Just knowing how great and amazing TyVaugh is, was and would have been in the fire service, it seemed only fitting to place his name as close to one of the members of the first black firefighters in the history of City of Richmond," said Spindle.
It wasn’t fate that TyVaughn and 963 other Virginians on this wall chose public service as their careers.
"It just reminds you what great people we have in the world, and you know, they all died for our communities, doing something absolutely amazing," noted Tracy Russillo, Vice President of the Virginia Public Safety Foundation.
“These are true heroes that are behind us," said Terry Cole, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for Virginia. "I spend a lot of time out here, personally, just coming and looking at the names that are on the wall and remembering their sacrifice."
TyVaughn Eldridge, James A. Foster and Alicia Anne Monahan, all Virginians who gave their time and life for their community.
So, the next time you pass by Capitol Square, consider spending some of your time here.
"This wall can bring more people together and to remember," said Spindle. "And then make sure that, of all, above all things, that we don't forget."
Of the 27 names being added to the memorial this year, 24 of them are firefighters, two are law enforcement officers, and one is an EMS worker.
The Public Safety Foundation will host a ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the wall on September 14, at 1 p.m. To register or make a donation to help cover the cost of the engraving, visit here: https://www.vpsf.org/event
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