Dozens of Crossville police and fire crews gathered Saturday, but not for an emergency. They met to help a friend and hero with the 278th get through his time in Iraq.

Daniel Marquess is on leave right now, but heads back to continue his service next week. Before he left, dozens gathered, crane included, to take a giant picture of the people Marquess is fighting for.

"You can't really put into words how much they mean to you" said Marquess. "When you open up a photo of your family or just some of your friends, even something as simple as the trees and grass, they're things we don't have there."

The work, and there is plenty of it, is not just for the people serving there. The people here at home worrying abound friends and relatives find relief in helping any way they can.

"This means so much," said Daniel's mother Leeann trying to hold back tears. "It means a lot to me as a mother, means a lot to me as an American."

"It's just like a little piece of home going over there," said Robert Clark, who tried to get multi-ton vehicles in the perfect place for the perfect photo. "We just want to remind them that we support them ,and what they do is not forgotten."

Daniel got more than the picture. He also received an American flag from East Tennessee, the one they used for the picture. Most importantly, Daniel left with a reassured feeling, knowing that even though he was going thousands of miles away from East Tennessee, symbols of home would always be close to him, figuratively and literally.

"It's just an awesome feeling when you get a stack of letters or a box from friends or loved ones," he said, adding "You could have worst day on Earth, but when you open that box all your problems just went away."

Dan Farkas , Reporter
7/2/2005

Story Copyright to WBIR-TV, Knoxville, TN.