Fdny...

[E40FDNYL35]

Soon after 9/11, the memory of which will remain forever with all who experienced it, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani went on national television and said..
"On our city's darkest day, our heroes met the worst of humanity with the best of humanity," he said. "Our hearts are broken, but they are beating, and they are beating stronger than ever." And now the heartbreak returns. Once again, New York's Bravest have been called upon, and once again, they have responded with courage and with dignity and with honor. Firefighters always do. And so once again, the bagpipes will sound and the muffled drums of the funeral processions will be heard. Once again, there will be the tears of widows, and the lost, sad stares of small children caught up in events they do not comprehend — but, of course, they understand that something truly terrible has occurred, and so they are fearful.
It is a bittersweet mercy that, this time, the dead are fully accounted for. It's been three long years and four months since 9/11; many of those surviving families don't have the comfort of a casket and a headstone, and they probably never will. And here is an enduring mystery: What is it that draws young New Yorkers into the uniformed service of their city when the work is so fundamentally dangerous and the temporal rewards so modest by comparison? Yesterday wasn't the worst day in the history of the FDNY, even setting 9/11 aside. And never let it be said that even worse days don't lie in the future; in the Age of Terror, that would be truly tempting the fates. So, again, what is the attraction? Why do they do it? It's a decent job, with a fair wage and a generous pension. But there is more. There is the challenge, physical and mental. It's a tough job, too, at times, and not everybody can measure up. There is the danger, which always has attracted brave men — and which, thank goodness, always will. Not all firefighters are saints; the events of recent months have demonstrated that much. Then again, no one who knows the job ever said they were. Firefighters, even in New York City, are subject to human failings — though it would be wise for those who supervise them, elected and appointed, to understand that they are also a breed apart. When it matters most, they go where few others would dare — and they do it with studied professionalism and great personal courage. Every now and again, New York City is reminded anew that it has in its service men routinely capable of sacrifices that cannot ever be repaid. Yesterday was such a day. Time again to shed a tear for heroes.

[cdemarse]

nice post bro

[shenry32]

If you don't mind, that got printed out and shared with my guys.

Three more to mourn. May we all remember.

Scott

[arhaney]

E40FDNYL35, you have posted some of the best threads ever to grace these pages, FDNY should be proud................