Approximately 150 people gathered Monday at Ardmore Regional Park for the dedication of a memorial to Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service paramedics Shawn Skelly and Shane Gilmore who were killed in the line of duty a year ago. The monument will also serve as a state memorial for all fallen EMS workers.

Skelly and Gilmore were hit and killed by a passing motorist on Oct. 6, 2002, while they were assisting an accident victim on Interstate 35 north of Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Funding for the memorial came from SOAS, the Oklahoma Association of EMTs, donations and sales of the compact disc "Angels in Blue" performed by David Smith.

It has been a difficult year for the men's families and former co-workers.

"I think a huge part of the healing process is ensuring that the guys are not forgotten," said SOAS director Rhonda Thomas before the ceremony. "Setting the memorial helps close the wounds for all of us."

During the ceremony, Thomas, the Rev. Robert Hightower, state Rep. Greg Piatt and Ray Simpson of the Oklahoma Association of EMTs offered words of prayer and comfort for the families and friends of the two paramedics.

Thomas announced a scholarship fund has been established in memory of Skelly and Gilmore. Sergio Gonzalez, president of the Wings of Life motorcycle club, presented club patches to the men's families. The club's members are paramedics, firemen, police officers, EMTs and first-responders.

The patch, which is worn on the back of the riders' black motorcycle vests, was designed in memory of Skelly and Gilmore.
"The green cloverleaf is Shane's tattoo," Gonzalez said. "The 22 yellow wings represent Shawn, Medic 22."

About 14 of Shane and Shawn's friends in the motorcycle club remembered them in a special way prior to the afternoon's ceremony.

"We had about a three-hour ride and went out to visit their graves," Gonzalez said. "Johnny Thomas rode Shane's Harley Davidson and was the lead bike."

"It was a good ride," said Thomas, a paramedic. "We rode to say 'hey' to both of them. It was cathartic."

Fund raiser Angels In Blue memorial items are available from the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service