►
Description
The USS Arlington was christened on March 26, 2011 in Pascagoula Mississippi. The ship was named in memory of the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon and the first responders who were responsible for saving lives that day. For this reason, Arlington Fire Chief James H. Schwartz was asked to deliver the keynote address.
A
A
B
C
Now
my
pleasure
to
introduce
our
keynote
speaker.
Chief
james
schwartz,
joined
the
arlington
county
fire
department
in
1984.
As
a
firefighter,
he
was
the
first
non
officer
lion
firefighter
to
serve
as
an
instructor
at
the
Arlington
Fire
Academy.
He
rose
through
the
ranks
to
lieutenant
captain
battalion
chief
and
assistant
fire
chief
on
911.
He
was
the
deputy
fire
chief
and
incident
commander
at
the
Pentagon
responsible
for
coordinating
the
rescue
response
efforts
on
the
ground
in
2004.
He
was
named
Arlington's
new
fire
chief.
D
Thank
you,
mrs.
Rumsfeld
secretary
Rumsfeld
secretary
England
secretary
stack,
Lee,
Admiral,
Greenert,
general
Kessler,
commander,
Nelson,
distinguished
guests,
and
especially
the
shipbuilders
of
the
world's
greatest
naval
force.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
share,
in
this
historic
event,
honoring
Arlington
and
commemorating
the
events
of
911.
D
Let
me
also
take
a
moment
to
welcome
the
folks
from
Arlington,
not
here
with
us
today,
but
watching
this
ceremony
through
a
video
feed
back
at
home.
I
stand
here
today
on
behalf
of
Arlington
County,
to
celebrate
the
christening
of
the
USS
Arlington
I
also
represent
the
men
and
women
of
our
nation's
Public
Safety
institutions
who
stood
beside
you
and
other
dedicated
members
of
the
United
States
military
in
response
to
one
of
our
nation's
greatest
tragedies
almost
10
years
ago,
and
we
remain
standing
there
today.
D
I
want
to
take
a
short
moment
to
acknowledge
the
members
of
the
Arlington
County
Fire
Department,
the
greatest
fire
and
EMS
organization
anywhere
I
want
to
thank
them
for
their
service
for
their
dedication
and
I.
Want
those
of
you
here
today
to
understand
that
while
9-11
was
an
historic
event,
the
images
of
which
are
etched
in
the
minds
of
people
all
over
the
world?
It
is
not
911
that
defines
the
Arlington
County
Fire
Department,
who
we
are
comes
from.
What
we
do
every
day,
providing
caring
and
excellent
service
to
those
in
need.
D
Both
were
organized
as
an
infant
nation
struggled
for
survival
and
both
have
been
protecting
our
nation
every
day,
since
both
institutions,
along
with
others
of
our
partners
in
emergency
medical
services
and
law
enforcement,
have
enjoyed
a
long-standing
support
and
even
admiration
from
the
communities
that
we
serve
and
a
larger
nation
on
911.
The
domestic
defenders
of
Public
Safety
stood
shoulder-to-shoulder
with
our
brothers
and
sisters
in
the
military
in
a
unified
effort
to
save
the
Pentagon.
Today,
both
institutions
stand
together
in
the
defense
and
protection
of
our
nation.
D
The
USS
Arlington
is
dedicated
to
the
heroes
of
the
September
11
attacks,
to
set
the
record
straight
in
the
response
to
the
Pentagon.
The
word
hero
applies
to
two
sets
of
people.
The
first
is
the
men
and
women
who
went
to
work
on
the
Pentagon
on
that
clear
late
summer
day
to
do
the
very
important
job
of
serving
their
nation
when
in
American
Airlines
one
american
airlines
flight
77,
pierced
that
bright
September
sky
and
tore
through
the
outer
through
rings
of
the
building.
It
was
those
dedicated
public
servants
who
became
the
first
responders.
D
Just
as
important
are
the
acts
of
bravery
and
heroism
displayed
by
those
who
lost
someone
they
loved
on
that
horrific
day.
The
nation
mourns
each
year
on
the
anniversary,
those
who
lost
a
spouse,
a
parent,
a
child
or
sibling,
are
reminded
each
and
every
day
we
have
a
responsibility
to
remember
their
lives
and,
to
never
forget
the
los.
D
The
losses
of
911
were
especially
poignant
for
the
Navy
for
one
net
Boeing
757
broke
through
the
outer
three
rings
of
the
Pentagon
it
took
with
it
the
Navy
command
center
killing
all,
but
one
who
are
working
there
that
morning.
The
memory
of
those
losses,
along
with
the
others,
are
foremost
in
our
minds.
Today.
D
D
The
successful
response
to
the
Pentagon
on
911
and
the
lesson
of
trusted
partnerships
is
now
well
known.
We
have
told
our
story
so
many
times
into
so
many
people
in
the
last
10
years.
That
I
regularly
hear
my
own
words
repeated
back
to
me
as
if
the
speaker
lived
them
as
we
did,
and
then
I
remind
myself
that
all
Americans
live
that
day,
as
we
did
as
the
USS
Arlington
is
made
ready
for
service.
I
am
inspired
by
the
coat
of
arms
and
its
method,
message
of
strength,
honor
and
fortitude.