|
shop .
members zone .
fh network .
buyers guide .
jobs .
drills .
e-mail .
classifieds .
auctions .
lodd .
9/11 .
submit .
advertise |
|
home .
news .
forums .
links .
shop .
ems .
training .
hotshots .
apparatus .
magazine .
chat .
events |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The Sunday Service: Humble Afternoon of Respect, Honor
LON SLEPICKA, HEATHER CASPI and TIFFANI ALEXANDER
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It was an afternoon when powerful politicians and high White House appointees became the most humble of the humble. Speaking at the MCI Center filled friends, family and those honoring 446 fallen firefighters honored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, they all paid homage to these professionals. NFFF Board Chairman Hal Bruno and Executive Director Ron Siarnicki moderated the production, which seated relatives and friends of about 300 of the 446 LODDs honored this year on the floor in front of the stage. Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams welcomed all to the city. U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer led the Pledge of Allegiance. A message from the President was given by U.S. Representative Curt Weldon. FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh spoke and introduced the Keynote speaker Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security.
It was Ridge who said his job was less then the impossible things firefighters were sometimes asked to do. And they did it without complaint, without delay and without failure, he said. Plaques, with the names of those honored, and to be placed on the National Fallen Firefighters Monument in Emmitsburg, MD, were unveiled. It was Firefighter Tommy Mastroeni from the Newark, NJ Fire Department who said, "When you went in there and sat down, it really made you set back and think." Their department lost Lawrence Webb May 22, 2001 while fighting a fire. There followed the reading of all 446 names, each states names chimed in with the ringing of a huge brass bell on stage. Interspersed was Senators Joseph Biden Jr., Barbara Mikulski, Paul Sarbanes, and Representatives Steny Hoyer, Connie Morella, William Pascrell, Nick Smith and Curt Weldon, reading remembrances of some of the honored firefighters.
Seven different individuals and groups performed musical selections during the approximately three-hour service. "The weekend, the level of support for the families of our fallen firefighters has never been higher, its just been incredible" Foundation Chairman Hal Bruno said. "The families and firefighters alike have come here to remember and honor the courage of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice."
For the families of the FDNY Bravest lost, a year of memorials, funerals and tributes is coming to a symbolic end with the conclusion of this weekend's service and the FDNY Memorial Service less than a week away.
|
|
|
|
|
