Iron Sharpens Iron

The Iron Sharpens Iron is a special memorial event to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of our fallen brother Ironworkers / Miller Park Heroes taking place on Sunday, July 14 at American Family Field.

As some of you may remember, tragedy struck for three families, Ironworkers Local 8, and all of the Building Trades who were working on the construction of Miller Park on July 14th, 1999. Three of our brothers, Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave, and Jerome Starr, from Local 8 perished in the "Big Blue Accident", while trying to set a section of roof over the ballpark. To this day, thousands of tradesmen reminisce working on that historic project when driving by the ballpark or attending a Brewers game, and remember the ultimate sacrifice that was made by our brothers, including those who are suffering mentally and physically to this day from that travesty.

Ironworkers Local 8, the Milwaukee Building Trades, and all other councils of the Wisconsin Building Trades would like to remember and honor those men. As we gather to remember and pay tribute to the lives lost in the accident, we also want to celebrate the resilience, dedication, and craftsmanship of the numerous trades that played a vital role in the construction of this iconic stadium.

The Iron Sharpens Iron event will feature a memorial ceremony at Miller Park Heroes Memorial, a pre-game tailgate party, a remembrance program by the Brewers before the first pitch, and then the Brewers Vs. Washington Nationals Game (at 1p) with sections of seating dedicated to the Building Trades in attendance. The Brewers organization have been gracious enough to be a huge partner of ours in helping us plan and be a part of a day of remembrance on that day.

The memorial sculpture “Teamwork” stands today behind home plate outside of American Family Field at Miller Park Memorial as tribute to Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave, and Jerome Starr, our ironworker brothers.