March 16, 2006 -- A platoon of firefighters who boycotted last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade because they were not allowed to don green berets will march tomorrow - holding the headgear in their hands.
Some 1,000 firefighters - dubbed the "Green Berets" - sat out the parade last year in protest."We're trying to follow the order," said Firefighter Jim McCarthy of Ladder 55 in the Bronx. "We're registering our dismay and our disappointment with the chief's decision, but we want to keep the parade a parade."
Last year's parade featured a fraction of the firefighters who usually show up to march, after Chief of Department Peter Hayden prohibited them from decorating their uniforms.
Firefighters were allowed to don the headgear before the 2005 ban. Many who did were members of Engine 60/Ladder 17, a Bronx firehouse where the tradition started in 1970.
Last year, a sea of supporters stood on the sidelines on Fifth Avenue near East 83rd Street in a show of support. "We had quite a group last year, but rather than do the same thing, we said, 'Let everybody march,' " McCarthy said.
The FDNY stands by the rule. "It's not part of the uniform," said a spokesman.
