Veteran's Day Flag Raising Ceremony
On November 11, 2004, Veteran's Day, the Saginaw Fire Department held a very special flag raising ceremony. It was meant to honor all Veterans but was especially meaningful for the firefighters who work alongside Todd Dittenber, a five-year department veteran who is serving in the Grayling-based 1440 th Engineer Detachment of the Michigan Army National Guard. He is a staff sergeant for the detachment, and carries out the duties of fire chief for his unit. Dittenber, who also served in Saudi Arabia, left for Iraq in February and likely will not return home until early next year.
The department sent him the American flag, which Dittenber's unit flew for several weeks in Iraq before sending it back home. Flying it over the station in their honor is a way to show support for military personnel in Iraq and veterans of all wars.
Raising the flag was Todd's wife, Erin Dittenber, who is a specialist in the 1439 th Michigan Army National Guard, a sister firefighting unit to the 1440 th . Joining her were Saginaw firefighters Christopher McGowan, a technical sergeant with the Michigan Air National Guard, and Chedrick Greene, a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant.
