Calling their words a "despicable manipulation of the truth,'' Boston fire Commissioner Paul A. Christian is lashing out at firefighters who insinuated he heartlessly ordered a 9/11 memorial to be painted over.
Firefighters were outraged Sept. 13 when workers hired by the Boston Fire Department showed up with instructions to paint over two American flags that Engine 24/Ladder 23 jakes had emblazoned on the Grove Hall garage doors after 9/11.
Christian, in a stern letter sent to Boston media yesterday, responded to the flag flap.
He said the station doors were to be repainted red as part of a $1 million renovation, and firefighters never had permission to paint them.
He accused some firefighters of gross mischaracterization, saying he wasn't aware of the memorial until the media picked up the story.
"It is a sad and shameful day for the Boston Fire Department that a few of its members, for reasons known only to them, would present such a despicable manipulation of the truth,'' he wrote.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino stepped in last weekend and ordered the flag mural to be repainted.
Ed Kelly, president of Boston Firefighters Local 718, claimed Christian has wanted to quash the memorial since it was dedicated Sept. 11, 2002.
Related: Boston Firefighters Outraged, 9/11 Flags Painted Over
