“Saying Goodbye To Friends”

Warren and Jan Lee Jorgenson
December 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 September 11^th 2001. After having the privilege of working with members of Rescue 4, Rescue 2, Ladder 108 and Marine 6 of the FDNY in the late 70’s and early 80’s, it has been very difficult to say goodbye and hard to believe that they are gone.

We hardly ever used to cry, but since September 11^th 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 New York in order for us to bring closure to this tragic loss life and friends.

On September 29^th we left for the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service and drove to Washington D.C. Immediately upon arriving in Washington almost a week before the memorial service we started running into firefighters from all around the world.

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 Washington D.C. extended a red carpet for all of us visiting their city. With all the mixed feelings of joy and sorry, we still had this haunting fear of the potential of something terrible happening with this large assembling of firefighters from around the world. It was reassuring to see the security at an elevated level.

On Friday October 5^th 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 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, 2002. The service featured musical selections by members of the fire service and survivors of fallen firefighters. Fire service honor guard lit the candles for the fallen firefighters. A video featured each honored hero. As the ceremony closed, survivors share the light of the Remembrance Candle, a symbol of the hope and enduring friendship shared by all who have lost a firefighter.

On Sunday October 6^th we awaken earlier to make sure we are at our predetermined location at 7^th street between Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues. The Metro subway was full of uniforms and the closer we got to Constitution Avenue, it seemed like an army firefighters were gathering.

A sign that says “Minnesota” stands waiting for us. Next to us is Vermont, and then Japan, Connecticut, Illinois, California, Arizona, Kentucky Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and South Carolina are all in our section.

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 7^th street. As we look up the street we see firefighters in a “Sea of Blue” lining both sides of the street. Soon the bagpipes and the honor guards start passing by and then the buses filled with family members. In all 36 buses with family members holding pictures of their Dad or Mom, Brother or Sister, Husband or Wife, Son or Daughter in the windows as they pass by. Seeing the children wave at us, we both agreed that this was the hardest thing we have ever had to do in our entire lives.

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

America

's history leading a procession and escorting the families of

America

's bravest to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service at the MCI Center.

Monday morning Jan Lee and I left for New York where we spent the next week visiting friends on Long Island fire stations and at FDNY.

On a visit to New York City, Jan Lee and I had the privilege of going to the site now forever to be known as "Ground Zero" where the "attack on

America

" at the World Trade Center took place.

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 New York, this one had an emotional baggage to it because of friends we lost on September 11, 2001.

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

Australia

. Dave, their tour guide from Engine 44 in the Bronx, is showing them around.

A mere block away from Ground Zero and experiencing no damage, not even a broken window, is St. Paul’s Chapel, dedicated in 1776. The church has become a memorial site and a haven for the masses that arrive from around the world to pay their respects. St. Paul’s Chapel is where George Washington prayed after taking the office as President of the

United States

.

We’ve stood in many hallowed places throughout our life Arlington Cemetery, the Vietnam Wall, to name a few. We’ve stood over too many grave sites in our lifetime and wept for our grand fathers, our grand mothers, not to mention the many firefighters and dear friends who have gone on before us. But this place, this ground, is different. It is a place of innocence, which was transformed into a raging inferno that thirteen months later still spews out the cries of the souls, and memories as if to say, "never forget me and September 11, 2001". It seems strange that the 9/11 date of this unthinkable tragedy are those same numbers we use when the public needs us.

We’ve been to New York many times but have never felt the tug at our heart that we did this trip. Besides the haunting lack of the towers, you notice something else is missing; the yellow cabs are not honking their horns as frequently. You actually hear New Yorkers saying, "I’m sorry" or "Excuse me" when they bump into someone on the street. They actually allow you to go first, like we do in Minnesota. If you are wearing fire paraphernalia you get the royal treatment. We rode the subway all week for free because we were fire service personnel.

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 California to his buddy on Ladder 20. It was not a lengthy tearful message from a fellow firefighter but simply one firefighter to another, "John, I miss you. Frankie". Everyone who comes to the wall around the church speaks in hushed voices. We believe that no one visits this site without experiencing a lump in their throat, tears in their eyes, as we did.

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 World Trade Center in tact and immediately erected it along the eastern side of Ground Zero. It became a symbol of what they are about as firefighters, police officers, workers and volunteers meet at the foot of the Cross every Sunday morning at 7:00 AM for a prayer service. The cross now stands to the left of the reviewing stand and serves as a memorial at the site and will most likely be part of the future site at Ground Zero.

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 Staten Island location where the material from Ground Zero was taken. The site was a garbage dump and that has not set well with everyone here.

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 September 11, 2001 is left behind. But once we return to the station the mood slowly creeps back into the house like a ghost that has followed the crew back home. It is a strange helpless feeling that we are experiencing and it is hard to get the guys to smile.

Saturday October 12^th arrives and we are up early to take the subway from Queens into Manhattan. Once again we find firefighters, like a large army gathering to do battle, as we get closer to our gathering point. Today is different in a couple of ways, one it’s raining and we are “in” New York City where the battle began.

We are to assemble by 7 a.m. Saturday, October 12 on 9th Avenue and 23rd Street in Manhattan but because of the thousands that have come we continually get pushed down towards 14^thStreet.
.
781 limousines chauffeured the families of the fallen to the ceremony. They entered Madison Square Garden on a long red carpet under a white awning. Chief Brian Dixon took 45 minutes for to read all the names of the FDNY members who made the supreme sacrifice in the performance of duty at box 8087, the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

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 noon, the roll call ended and applause rocked the Garden for ten uninterrupted minutes.

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."

America

is at war, and as they "take it from here", we wish our men and women in military service well.

This pilgrimage to New York we saw the remains evil and we have seen the gathering of heroes. We were glad we picked this day to be here because there's no greater honor than to feel and be part of this worldwide brotherhood of firefighters, with the best of

America

.

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 "New York’s finest" for their courtesy and hospitality during our visit.

===============================================================

Do not reprint the following … this is for your info … I have ask for permission from Bill to print this.

Fire Engineering's Editor in Chief Bill Manning concluded the Sunday's service with the following:

Sea of Blue

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, October 6, 2002

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Last Updated: June 20, 2004