NASHVILLE --- The United States Honor Flag arrived in Nashville this afternoon and flew over the Tennessee State Capitol to honor recently fallen TBI agent Lt. Eric Emmert and Sequatchie County Sheriff’s deputy, Lt. David Gann, and all other fallen heroes. This is the first time the U.S. Honor Flag has flown in the State of Tennessee.
The U.S. Honor flag departed Miami, Florida, Wednesday morning on American Airlines Flight 1518. The flag traveled in the cockpit with the pilot during the flight, and when it touched down at Nashville International Airport just after 1:00 p.m., the plane was met by a water-cannon salute. The Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Honor Guard, along with dozens of officers from several agencies including the THP, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Army National Guard, Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Department, Nashville International Airport Department of Public Safety, and Metro Nashville Police, met the pilot at the gate to receive the flag. A motorcade escorted the U.S. Honor Flag to the State Capitol where it flew at half-staff, honoring all fallen heroes and those currently protecting our lives, homes and our country.
1st Lieutenant William Eric Emmert, a TBI Special Agent and former Tennessee State Trooper, was killed in action February 24, 2009, while serving his country in Mosul, Iraq.
Lieutenant David Charles Gann, a member of the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Department, was killed in an automobile crash while on duty on February 17, 2009.
BACKGROUND:
The U.S. Honor Flag originally flew over the Capitol Building of the State of Texas. Shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks, the flag was sent to New York City, where it was flown at ground zero during the recovery efforts and at memorial services. Family members requested the flag be used for all other service men and women around the nation, honoring them just as the heroes of 9/11 were honored. Since then, the U.S. Honor Flag has been flown to cities all around the nation, and in October 2004, the flag traveled to Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq.
For more information about the U.S. Honor Flag, contact The Honor Network President Chris Heisler at 512-743-5819 or visit the organization’s website at
www.USHonorFlag.org.
Attached are photographs from the water-cannon salute, the ceremony at Nashville International Airport and the ceremony at the Tennessee State Capitol.
The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.