Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
A tear-soaked crowd thronged St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday to pay tribute to the 343 members of the FDNY who died at the World Trade Center - heroes who never flinched as they ran toward unthinkable danger.
The decade that has passed since the Fire Department's darkest day has done nothing to dull the memories of those lost, according to the speakers at the emotional afternoon service.
"This is an awfully tough week for the FDNY," said Mayor Bloomberg. "It's an awfully tough week for all of us."
"The emotions keep rushing back along with so many memories and so many stories," Bloomberg said. "We'll remember the brave 343. We'll honor them. We salute them."
An image of each firefighter killed that fateful morning was flashed on a video screen on the altar as their loved ones dabbed at tears.
"I really wish I could have met you," said 9-year-old Patrick Lyons, born just weeks after the death of his firefighter father, who shared his name.
"As I get older, everyone says I walk like you," said Patrick, who read a letter to his dad. "I play flag football like you did, and I play the same position you did, quarterback."
An honor guard of firefighters carrying American flags solemnly filed down the aisle at St. Patrick's to begin the memorial service, presided over by Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, who was nearly killed during the attacks, spoke movingly about how the FDNY has honored those lost a decade ago.
"Out of the depths of this tragedy, we rebuilt the greatest fire department in the world," said Cassano.
The challenges for the FDNY did not end in the moments after the towers fell, killing the 343 Bravest and many of the department's top leaders.
Hundreds of firefighters worked for weeks at the smoldering World Trade Center site, and the exposure to the toxins has killed 55 FDNY members - and made scores more ill. "The world may have called them 'Brave,'" said Cassano, "but we called it doing our job."
Hundreds of firefighters packed the midtown house of worship, and dozens more - many from departments around the globe - stood outside to pay their respects.
"We're here to show our support for our brothers in New York," said Steve Joudrey, 52, of London, Ontario.
Amid prayers that no one be harmed during the 10th anniversary of the attacks, a hushed silence fell over the crowd as Ashley Fodor remembered her slain father, Michael.
"To us, Dad was untouchable, a constant in our lives," she said, "but he was taken away, lost in a city he loved, buried under buildings he had admired, doing his job with honor and vigor."
The children of firefighters who were killed then each lit a candle to conclude the Mass, moments before the bagpipes blared and the flags marched out of the cathedral again.
"That roll call, my friends, is nothing less than a litany of saints," said Dolan.
"Those firefighters were and you firefighters are what the Bible calls prophets. You go against everything that degrades human life.
Later yesterday, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly attended a memorial service honoring slain officers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. "We know that the city, the world, owes you a debt that we can never repay," Kelly said.
With Clare Trapasso
jlemire@nydailynews.com
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/09/10/2011-09-10_343_stars_still_shining_fallen_bravest_honored_during_st_pats_mass.html
No comments:
Post a Comment