09/11/09
September 11, 2009 at 04:45 A.M my alarm clock goes off. I rollover to turn it off and
it hits me, 343 New York City Firefighters aren't able to due such a simple task. They were murdered on September 11,
2001. Murdered. Yes, murdered by terrorists.
I put on my dress uniform and head to the
East Chatham Fire Station to meet with other firefighters.
At the station I meet up with East Chatham 1st Assistant Chief
Alan Besterman, and East Chatham Firefighters Willy Moon, Lee Pratt and James Ordway. Also there is fellow Canaan Firefighter
Sharon Moon. We are going to New York City to pay respects to 343 brothers who were killed eight years ago at the Twin
Towers in lower Manhattan.
We drive to Hudson to catch the 5:45 Amtrak train to Penn Station. As we board the train
we are greeted by smiles and everyday people saying, thank you.
Two hours later we arrive at Penn Station. We must
look lost because a FDNY Captain comes over to us and asked if we know where we are going. We do. He then assists us with
getting Metro cards to ride the subway to Brooklyn. We thank him and he thanks us for coming and goes on his
way.
In the station and while on the subway people continue to smile at us and thank us. They
thank us for coming to New York City and for what we do.
We arrive in Brooklyn and start walking
to 494 Dean Street. It is the home of Engine 219 and Ladder 105 of the New York City Fire Department. We were invited
there by FDNY Firefighter Regina Wilson. We met her at the New York State memorial service in Albany last October
where she sang the National Anthem. She has an awesome voice.
We arrived at the Fire Station and immediately
feel at home. Firefighters come foward to say hello and offer us coffee and something to eat. They also thank us for
coming. We are given a tour of the firehouse.
We then hear the orders for the firefighters to line up in front
of the station. We join them. We join them to mark the time when the south tower collapsed. We are called to attention. There
is a moment of silence, a prayer, and a song by a lone bagpiper.
After the moment of silence we
head to the St. Augustine R.C. Church on 6th Avenue a few blocks from the Dean Street fire station. We go for a memorial
mass to remember the lives and service of seven firefighters that served at Engine 219 and Ladder 105 who never
came home from the Twin Towers. We observe the Parade of Flags. Seven firefighters carried seven department flags from Ground
Zero, across the Brooklyn Bridge to the church. They were joined by other New York City firefighters and other firefighters
from as far away as California.
At the church the service is solem. Scriputre is read, songs are sung, prayers
are said, communion is offered. I witness people hugging and crying. Even after eight years there is pain.
After
the service we are invited to PS 77 at 62 Park Place. There we have lunch with firefighters from all over.
We return to the Dean Street Fire Station and say goodbye to some of the firefighters there. Handshakes and business
cards are exchanged.
We once again board the subway and head to Manhattan. We are going to Ground Zero
the site of were the twin towers once stood. As we arrive we are given flowers. The flowers are to be placed at the reflection
pool that is at the site where the South Tower stood. As I arrive in front of the pool it hits me as it has
in past years that I have come. I realize this is the site where thousands, yes thousands of people have died. There are photos
left at the pool. Photos of some of the victims. As I look at them some of them I choke up. I say a silent
prayer and gently toss a rose that lands with the hundreds of others. I try hold back tears, but I do shed a few.
I shed them for 343 brothers that I never knew . Seven of the brothers were from Engine 219 / Ladder 105 from Dean
Street Brooklyn. Captain Vincent Brunton, FF Henry Miller, FF Frank Palombo, LT Thomas Kelly, FF John Chipura, FF Dennis O'Berg,
and FF Robert Linnane.
May they and all the victims of this act of terrorism rest in peace.
To
the men and women of FDNY Ladder Co. 105 and Engine Co. 219 from all of us who attended, THANK YOU for everything.
Special thanks to FF Regina Wilson for the invitation.
Richard E. Lindmark
FF Canaan Protective
Fire Company
Canaan, New York
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