It's a ride none of the passengers were looking forward too, but it's one they knew they had to take.

As mourners gathered to remember firefighters Greg Pickard and Eric Wallace, the ride from Veterans Park to Central Baptist Church was a surreal one.

"It's never happened before so it was shocking," said College Station resident Chad Potts.

Potts didn't know the fallen firefighters but that didn't stop him from attending the memorial.

"I wanted to come and support and be present here with my prayers," said Potts.

We all like to come together in situations like this and support families and friends of everybody involved," said firefighter James Windham.

Windham is from Killeen and made the trip for one simple reason.

"Support of a fallen brother. That's probably just about what every fireman will say," said Windham.

Because remembering the real heroes is what matters most to mourners and those who know the dangers of the job first hand.

"Knowing as a fireman what happened and what the guys did to save their own brother, I know it was intense. They're all heroes for what they did," said Windham.

The bus service to the memorial was a joint effort between the cities of Bryan and College Station as well as Texas A&M University.