EMS honor guard presents colors at Arrowhead
By GAYLE WEBER
Standing on the 50-yard line of Arrowhead Stadium, American flag in hand, Ellis County EMS Capt. Mark Bunner knew that was the best part of his job Sunday.
"Fireworks going off, the national anthem being sung, thousands of people cheering," he said, recalling the scene before the start of the Kansas City Chiefs game Sunday.
And there in the middle of it all, three members of the Ellis County EMS Honor Guard stood, presenting the colors.
"It's an honor to do it, and (it) gives a little bit of notoriety to western Kansas," paramedic Robert Meyers said.
Bunner, Meyers and EMS Lt. Dustin Shubert were the three members of the 10-member EMS honor guard who were part of Sunday's detail after the department was asked by the Chiefs organization to present the colors prior to the game.
The honor guard has attended and presented the flags at funerals for fallen firefighters and paramedics as well as during parades, but Sunday's presentation was by far the largest venue for it.
"It was quite an experience to be on the field," Meyers said.
However, he said there has been a more significant presentation in his mind.
"For me, the biggest thing we had was when we did this for our captain that died here," Meyers said of being present at the funeral of former Ellis County paramedic Wendell Keller in 2007.
The EMS department had talked about putting together an honor guard, but really got serious about it after learning of Keller's bout with cancer.
"We pushed it forward when he got sick," Meyers said. "We put it together fast, and his funeral was the first big test of us doing something."
Since then, the honor guard has grown large enough that at least three or four members can attend events when requested if others are working a 24-hour shift in the department.
Besides presenting the colors, Bunner said the honor guard can be present in uniform or stand on guard especially during the funerals of either retired or active public service men and women.
"I'd love to do stuff like that more," Meyers said.