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Honoring Fallen First Responders: Texas Brotherhood Ride Makes Final Stop in San Antonio

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Tony Maples Photography

 

In 100+ temperatures, the Texas Brotherhood Ride, a 600-mile bicycle ride honoring fallen first responders,  made its way to the San Antonio finish line. They arrived on June 3, after setting out from Louisiana on May 27. Their final stop was the Alamo, but not before making two stops within the city to pay their respects to two of San Antonio’s own.

The ride began in Westwego, just outside of New Orleans, and consisted of 27 participants, including emergency personnel, police officers, and firefighters, together with 41 support team members. “The ride has been hot and hilly, but we remember who we are riding for so we push through those days,” explained Robert Hyatt, a Houston firefighter, and board member.

Along the Texas Brotherhood Ride, the non-profit group stopped at seven different sites between their origin in Louisiana and the terminus in Texas to honor 11 emergency first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty throughout 2017. Among those recognized were Scott Deem, a San Antonio firefighter who died on May 18, 2017, while fighting a blaze at Ingram Square Shopping Center, and San Antonio Police Officer Miguel Moreno, who was killed in the line of duty on June 29.

Texas Brotherhood Ride Honoring Fallen First Responders Makes Final Stop in San Antonio

Photo: Facebook/Texas Brotherhood Ride

The Brotherhood Ride originated in Florida in 2008 as a non-profit organization that supports the families of fallen officers. Its Texas chapter was established in Houston in 2014. Carlos Ortiz, San Antonio Police Department Public Information Officer, stated that the Texas Brotherhood contacted him in regard to completing their ride in San Antonio out of respect for officer Moreno as well as Deem. “It feels good, but bittersweet at the same time. The support feels tremendous, but what it signifies is the loss of our fallen officers, and that’s always hard to relive — that officer’s memory — with the family and his partner. But it was an honor and joy to have the Texas Brotherhood in our city,” Ortiz noted.