Paramedic preserving ceremonies of remembrance

No one says farewell to one of their own more beautifully than the community of first responders - the firefighters, police officers, and paramedics who see front-line action on a daily basis.

Now, thanks to a Clovis paramedic with a high-flying drone and a flair for film-making, those poignant services are being preserved in touching videos that capture those impressive ceremonies.

If you have access to the internet, you may have seen recent video tributes from the funeral services for Scotty Watson and John Mohon.

Watson, a lieutenant paramedic with the Portales Fire Department, died Jan. 31, and Mohon, chief of the Milnesand Fire Department, died March 19.

Both men were honored with full-blown first-responder tributes held in the Dora school gymnasium.

The solemn honor guard, the mournful wail of the bagpipe, the endless procession of fire trucks, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles leading to the cemetery, the heart-wrenching "last call" - all of these moments are documented in the skillfully edited video tributes.

In both cases, the man behind the camera - or rather, under it - was Gerald Kilmer II.

The son of a railroad dad, Kilmer was born in Clovis but grew up in Topeka, Kansas. He credits his high school photojournalism teacher, Jennifer Luetje, with inspiring his passion for photography.

"After I started making videos I realized that the same principles of photography apply to the video camera," Kilmer said. "All of my editing skills are self-taught and are mostly from other YouTube content creators. If you want to learn to do anything, there is a YouTube channel for it."

Kilmer, who joined the Clovis Fire Department in 2011, said his brother was the one who first interested him in drones as a hobby for the two of them to share.

They pooled funds for a kit and built one themselves.

"Unfortunately it required a lot of money to repair and we continued to crash it repeatedly," Kilmer said. "But that drone is what sparked the interest in finding a better one."

After extensive research, they found a company called DJI and made the investment in what Kilmer calls "a not inexpensive toy."

"My first drone was a Mavic Pro," Kilmer said. "It was amazing! We had a great picture of our world from above and I could not put it down. Every chance I got, I had it in the air."

Clovis Fire Chief Mike Nolen knew about Kilmer's hobby, so in June of 2017, when Texico Fire Chief Lewis Cooper died, Nolen encouraged Kilmer to take his drone to film the funeral procession.

"I had no idea what to expect," Kilmer said. "I was blown away by the number of trucks that had been brought in by other departments from all over the state to honor one of our local brothers.

"When I got home and sat down to edit," he recalled, "I pulled up a video and all you could see was a line of flashing lights more than a mile long. It was truly amazing to see what the word 'family' means in our line of work."

Kilmer uses two drones now, the original Mavic Pro and a newer Mavic Air. Both are battery-powered and have flight times of a short half hour.

Watson's and Mohon's funerals were Kilmer's fourth and fifth first-responder services to cover.

"The memorial videos are another way that the Clovis Fire Department honors those that have served as responders in our community," he said. "To attend one of the services for a first responder is an experience that is difficult to put into words. As a community that is worldwide, we take care of our fallen with honor, dedication, discipline, and duty in a tradition that is unlike any other I have ever seen."

His videos are - not surprisingly - cherished by the families.

"There are events or special moments that don't always get recorded at funerals other than within your memories," said John Mohon's daughter, Summer Mohon Perkins, "and some you may even miss because grief blurs them. The videos Gerald Kilmer creates capture those for friends and family in a way that honors the hero, helps heal the hurt, and chronicles the event."

Her brother, Chaddick Mohon, agrees.

"To have this video means the world to us as a family," he said. "Gerald's talent is not taken for granted with those who are grieving. His professionalism is top-notch, and we appreciate him and his service."

Scotty Watson's wife, Sam, said when she first saw drone footage of her husband's service, "it brought my world to a standstill.

"It took me back to the moment that someone told me that my husband was well loved," she said. "There are no words to describe how that video touched me. Every time I watch it ... which is often ... I remember how well loved he truly was.

"I can't thank Gerald enough for the work he does making the videos," Sam Watson added. "I know I'm not alone in saying, 'thank you,' for they help us to remember and heal."

Betty Williamson tips her grateful hat to Gerald Kilmer and his drone. Reach her at:

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