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Remembering Our Brothers and Sisters Who Gave It All On 9-11Our Pilgrimage to
“Saying Goodbye To Friends”Warren and Jan Lee JorgensonDecember 20, 2002 This past year has been a difficult year for all of us and especial for those of us that had friends at FDNY that gave it all on We hardly ever used to cry, but since September 11th we seem to drop a tear very easy when ever patriotic songs are played. Jan Lee and I decided almost a year ago that we would need to make the trip back to On September 29th we left for the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service and drove to To those that organized this historic memorial service, our hats are off to you, as we found a very well planned and organized event. The firefighters in On Friday October 5th we road the Metro subway train uptown with the St Paul Fire Department Honor Guard. It was an honor to be able to ride with the firefighters that took the national championship in honor guard competitions this past year and they are truly a class act! A beautiful evening service was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at On Sunday October 6th we awaken earlier to make sure we are at our predetermined location at A sign that says “ As the early morning sun rises in the East, it starts to warm the air. More firefighters are arriving from all around the world and soon we find more Minnesotans arriving at our sign. Minneapolis honor guard, Redwing, Albert Lee, Willmar, New Brighton, Apple Valley, St Paul honor guard, who marched in the procession, and David Hammer, Chairman of MFFMA carried Minnesota flag in the ceremonies. It was exhilarating to see firefighters from our on state. As the ceremony starts and the procession begins we come to attention as we take our place along We’ve been at many firefighters funerals but have never felt the tug at our hearts that we did as we stood there at attention with tears running down our face. We noticed something else too and that is we were not alone. You hear the pipes and the cadence from the honor guards as we pay our respects, stand in silence, and say a prayer for those alive and those who are not. Once the last units pass by the firefighters that had lined the streets, no longer were from different states but rather we were a proud brotherhood of firefighters, as we start to fall in behind and fill the street as we march to the MCI Center for the memorial service. The citizens that also line the streets applaud us as we march in silence. It was an awesome feeling of pride and sorrow all mixed together. Although, we did not know all of those who had given their lives, we “knew” them all. They were just like you and me. We “knew” the families on the buses also. They are just like yours and ours. We though how easy it could be for our family to be on those buses. We came back to reality and remind ourselves about the importance of training. The ceremony inside is spectacularly and filled with grandeur. The family members filled the center floor and photos and names of the firefighters from across the country are displayed and read. It seems like several hours have gone by since the 19 readers started reading the names. Talking with some of the FDNY family members after the service on the stage, they are now looking forward to getting on with their lives as best they can. Of all the speakers of the day Bill Manning, editor of Fire Engineering gave the dedication which was the most uplifting rousing speech we have every heard. After the ceremony Jan Lee and I were talking with Bill and Jan Lee suggested he put his dedication on the web site for all to read. Bill said that was a great idea and you can now read it at http://fe.pennnet.com by scrolling to the bottom of the page. It was a privilege and an honor to be part of the single largest gathering of fire service and public safety personnel, honor guard units and bagpipers in Monday morning Jan Lee and I left for On a visit to It was a humbling, emotional experience, none like we have known in the our years we have been on this earth. We took a whole year to get ready for this visit. You cannot get ready for this visit. You may think you know what awaits you at Ground Zero, but trust me, you don’t! Unlike other visits to We decide to make our first journey to Ground Zero late at night when we would be alone and the crowds would not be present. We passed the remains of fire station, Engine 10 and Ladder 10, which is directly across from the towers. The following morning we stop back at Ground Zero and then visit O’Hara’s Pub where we used to frequent. It’s looks different now then it did before. While there we met some firefighters from A mere block away from Ground Zero and experiencing no damage, not even a broken window, is We’ve stood in many hallowed places throughout our life We’ve been to We just had to go back and pay our personal respects, stand in silence at Ground Zero, and walk over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a few minutes of prayer for the FDNY and those alive and those who were lost. As we read the many loving notes written on the fence at St. Patrick’s Cathedral at Ground Zero, we find a large banner from Detroit Lakes Minnesota and it makes us feel proud and yet we cry. There are hundreds of signs, letters posters tee shirts and they all tell of feelings for loved ones lost. Messages from wives to husbands, husbands to wives, children to Mothers or Fathers, parents to their children, and friend to friend are posted on the high fence around the church. One message that we saw stayed with us. It was a firefighter from As we stand at the viewing area across the street from the church we see the famous cross that recovery worker Frank Silecchia of Little Ferry, N.J., pulled intact from the rubble and erected to serve as a daily reminder of faith amid tragedy. Silecchia mounted the cross to a large cement foundation to serve as an inspiration to the thousands of recovery workers who worked the pile for months after the Sept. 11 attack. Recovery workers found the section of the As we stood there Jan Lee asked about a huge building to the right of the viewing stand that had an enormous gash in it from top to bottom as it stood there draped in black screening, like a person on morning. It is the Deutchebank building where hundreds and hundreds were evacuated safely without the loss of one single person. As Jan Lee and I stood and viewed this sacred place, we could not help but think of the thousands of senseless murders that occurred on this place, right in front of us, which has forever change the way we feel about our country and the people around us. We also remember the thousands that were saved from that horrible tragedy. Most of the poor souls were never found, their bodies are missing and, for some, only parts will be found and identified. At least that will allow some sort of closure to begin for their families. There is great anger from New Yorkers about the What will happen on that precious piece of land in the future that will be forever branded into our hearts and memories? Others will see that the right thing is done. Americans always have done the right thing about their fallen heroes. This time will be no different I’m sure. As we spend time with friends at Rescue 1 and Rescue 4, we find the FDNY stations working to be ready to unveil memorial plaques in each of the city's 75 firehouses that lost members on Sept. 11. The mood of the firefighters is somber and you can feel the pain. The new probes that have joined the stations are drawn into this somber painful mood. Once the horns sounds and a run is underway the mood immediately changes to an upbeat enthusiastic all-for-one attitude and a portion of Saturday October 12th arrives and we are up early to take the subway from We are to assemble by . 781 limousines chauffeured the families of the fallen to the ceremony. They entered As the names of each firefighter were read, photos were displayed of the firefighter, in fire gear and some with wife and children. At approximately Because the large amount of FDNY firefighters and family members present, we were outside, cold drenched watching the ceremony on a giant TV screens. Each family was presented with a mahogany box containing four medals, the department's medals of valor and supreme sacrifice, the International Association of Firefighters' medal of honor, and one from Tiffany's commemorating the World Trade Center. Tears once again streamed down many faces in the crowd when Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sang, "You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains, you raise me up to walk on stormy seas, I am strong when I am on your shoulders, you raise me up more than I can be." In conclusion, there really isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said by others. But of the many patriotic cartoons that have come across our computer since September 11, one keeps coming to mind. It shows a firefighter holding aloft our Stars and Stripes, standing in the rubble and carnage of Ground Zero with an armed combat ready soldier reaching out for the flag as he says to the firefighter, "I’ll take it from here." This pilgrimage to We want to personally thank the firefighters at Rescue 4, FDNY’s Bravest who will always be remembered by Jan Lee and I as the best of " =============================================================== Do
not reprint the following … this is for your info … I have ask for
permission from
Bill to
print this.
We
miss you, fallen heroes,
And time seems to move slower without you; Yet through the mists of grief We feel you still, and that is our relief: For our hearts beat as one. Your hearts beat within us, within the sea of blue. Long
through the day and into the night,
We turn out, leaving behind Our fire stations and our homes For a dangerous destination, A clash with the unknown; but We are poised, battle-ready, our nerves honed With steel, and we are not alone: Your hearts beat within us, within the sea of blue. Our sirens are the heralds of hope- From those in danger, never far away- And to the helpless, they say, "We have made a promise, a sacred trust, As our forefathers did and as we now must Fulfill, for we are firefighters true, And our hearts beat as one in a sea of blue." As we push through the smoke, Advance our line through the door, As we throw ladders and Search above the fire floor, As we take command And make our stand, We are one true sea of blue. As we drop from planes And cut fire breaks, As we search through the rubble, As we do whatever it takes To rescue those in mortal trouble, As the sweat drips from our brows, As our eyes meet in battle With a recognition and resolve, As drops of blood in tears dissolve, As we burn with the flame of life And reach deep down To find the courage And the strength to carry on, Our hearts are one, and your hearts beat still Within a sea of blue. When
we say "yes"
To the firefighter's life, When
we say "yes"
To duty, honor, and sacrifice, We are saying "yes" with you, fallen hero. You are alive in ways that can't be seen: We follow our dream In your footsteps and, As you emptied your goodness into life's cup, So will we follow and raise it up- For our hearts are one In a sea of blue. Across our hearts and minds A spirit blows, throughout time, unceasing: A virtuous spirit called "sister" and "brother" That joins us to one another And fills us with the power To walk this unforgiving road And lock arms around the helpless In a rock-solid wall of human kindness Between the perilous And the imperiled. For we are one, a sea of blue. We are fire patriots, our flags unfurled, A sea of blue in a circle of lifegiving That's everwidening And transcendent of this world. Your immortality sings within us To the beat of the hearts in a sea of blue. Let us testify, brothers and sisters, To the families of the fallen whose love For their heroes is deeper than the sea, Let this be our solemn vow, our destiny: May our fallen heroes live on In our every act of courage, In every deed of honor, In every discharge of duty, In every mark of kindness, In every expression of compassion, In our passion for the job, In our every achievement, In our every success, In everything we do: May you live on, fallen heroes, In the enduring sea of blue. --Bill Manning,
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