This week, first responders on the Virginia peninsula surprised nurses at a local hospital, with one lieutenant singing “Amazing Grace” as firefighters raised an American flag.
Members of the Newport News Police and Fire Departments gave the medical personnel at Riverside Regional Medical Center a hero’s salute.
Lt. Jeremaih Hairston sang the beloved hymn surrounded by first responders’ trucks, motorcycles, and squad cars — all of which were flashing their blue and red lights.
Other first responders stretched out a sign for the nurses that read, “Riverside Strong.”
“This is our way of saying THANK YOU for a job well done and for standing strong in the face of this pandemic,” read a statement on the police department’s Facebook page. “Every day they are working to save lives while risking their own.”
When Hairston finished singing, Police Chief Steve Drew, Fire Chief Jeff Johnson, and Sheriff Gabe Morgan saluted the nursing staff before giving the medical workers a huge round of applause.