Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Those attending Cincinnati Reds baseball games at Great American Ballpark are accustomed to seeing some of Major League Baseball’s best players. 

On Wednesday, August 28, another presence took centerstage. 

The Winchester Fire Department Honor Guard performed before the ballgame against the Oakland Athletics.

“With the Honor Guard, it’s a time for us to show our pride,” said Lt. Jonathan Beam. “The Honor Guard is there for [recognizing] the ultimate sacrifice…. that’s our number one [goal]…we [also] get these opportunities to perform.” 

The Honor Guard of the Winchester Fire Department has a strong reputation. They’ve been active within the organization Supporting Heroes previously and assisted at many funerals and other services. 

Yet Saturday’s showing was the first at a Major League Baseball game. 

Along with Lt. Beam, firefighters John Gallagher, Tyler Tays, Austin Lancaster, and William Burch participated. 

While attending a Reds game himself, Gallagher approached Beam with the idea. 

“He sent me a picture of the honor guard [performing] and said. ‘Why isn’t this us?'” Recalled Beam. 

Showing interest, Beam then responded by sending the Reds organization photos of the department’s Honor Guard performing at a Lexington Legends game.

“They reached back out to us [about] a month later,” he said. “Now, here we are, coming to a Reds game!” 

Arriving hours before players even took the field for warmups and entering the stadium through Dock 3—located next to the entrance of the parking garage on Pete Rose Way—many firefighters first stopped to eat and drink at the Holy Grail Tavern & Grille on Joe Nuxhall Way. 

Afterward, once they had returned to the stadium, department members were taken to a private area and changed into their Class A uniforms, which are formal attire for such events. 

Soon, they would be taking part in the pregame ceremony. 

However, it was not without some fanfare. 

Mascots and others passing by recognized the firefighters, with many stopping to take pictures. 

For Beam, a long-time Reds fan, the experience offered excitement. 

“You always watch the Reds and see [the mascots] running around. Here we are getting ready to walk out, and the mascots come to us to say, ‘Hey!'” He said. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s pretty neat to be on that side of it.” 

Before long, it was time for the pregame ceremony. 

Officially, the Honor Guard participated in Presenting the Colors, a traditional ceremony marking certain events, celebrations, and more. 

Marching out with the three middlemen holding an American flag, Kentucky flag, and Winchester Fire Department flag and a firefighter on each end holding an axe, they entered through the opening of a wall in left-center field, marched to their left along the warning track, and stepped forward onto the grass. 

Many in the crowd stood at attention out of respect, with the national anthem soon following. 

Immediately after the National Anthem, the Honor Guard left the field in formation, exiting how they had entered.

“All of the guys did a great job tonight. It [was] a phenomenal performance,” Beam said. “As a company, I’m proud of all the guys stepping up and doing their job and what it takes to perform.” 

Like the approximately 12,000 other individuals in attendance, the firefighters watched the Reds play the A’s afterward. Many other staff members—including Winchester Fire Department Chief Chris Whiteley—were also in attendance. 

While this was the department’s first-ever Honor Guard performance at a Cincinnati Reds game, it appears far from the last. 

In coordination with the organization, the department looks toward appearing in a handful of games next season. 

“We’ll pick what games we want to do, and [they’re] going to give them to us,” he said. “Tonight was awesome. Everybody had a blast!”