NY Firefighters say U.S. flags removed from lockers

NY firefighters say U.S. flags removed from lockers
Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:30pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York firefighters have been forced to strip their lockers American flags, stickers expressing support for U.S. troops in Iraq and cards commemorating firefighters who died in the September 11, attacks, the firefighters' union said on Wednesday.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association threatened to sue the New York Fire Department, claiming it violated the free speech rights of New York's 8,800 firefighters and 2,500 fire officers. The action comes under an old policy more strictly enforced since early last month.

A fire department spokesman said flags and commemorative cards were allowed but offensive material was not.

"Over the past 18 months, the New York City Fire Department has made a concerted effort to eliminate offensive material from firehouses," said spokesman Anthony Sclafani. "However, American flags and mass cards of firefighters killed on September 11, 2001, are certainly permitted."

The union said it would distribute 10,000 American flag stickers on Thursday to firefighters to stick on their lockers in protest.

"They are proposing that these people who save lives on a daily basis can't be trusted to maintain their locker," said Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy, who demanded the policy be changed or said the union would sue the department on January 21.

The fire department has enforced the policy more strictly since early last month when a slogan considered degrading to women was found in a Brooklyn firehouse, a department source said.
Cassidy said such items as American flags and stickers supporting U.S. troops helped maintain morale. Some 343 firefighters died in the September 11 attacks on New York.

"Firefighters by and large are patriotic Americans; they care about the country and they care about the city of New York," he said. "We consider ourselves a second family to Americans."

National Online EMS Museum

National, Online EMS Museum in Progress

SUSAN NICOL KYLE
EMSResponder.com News

Taking a trip into the early days of EMS may be just a mouse click away soon.
A group of EMS officials from across the country are establishing a virtual museum that will feature pictures, interviews and documents.

The National EMS Museum Foundation Inc. also is in the process of becoming a tax-exempt organization.

"When people think of a museum, they think about a building. That's not what this is. You won't have to worry about parking..." said Lou Jordan, a longtime Maryland EMS official and foundation board member.

While concepts are being considered, Jordan said one possibility involves the Star of Life with various rooms or displays off the points.

In addition to the virtual museum, organizers are working on a traveling display. "When there's a trade show, we'd invite people to bring their artifacts to show. They would be able to share their collections."

The concept has been well-received, and people have already contacted the group, said Jules Scadden, secretary.

"This way the items stay with the owners. We don't have to be concerned about a storage building," she said. "There's a lot of passion out there for the project."
Officials are hoping to get the virtual site up and running in the next six to eight months, and the traveling show next year.

EMS providers are encouraged to get involved in the project. "This has to stay at the street level. We need input."

The National Association of EMTs is backing the concept, and believes the effort is long overdue, said Bob Loftus, NAEMT secretary and member of the museum foundation.

Loftus said at NAEMT there's been an ongoing discussion about establishing a museum for some time. He's impressed with the recent activity and involvement.

Katharine Rickey said the foundation has no intention of putting other EMS museums out of business. "We want to help them. We are not competing with anyone."

Ms. Rickey, the curator, said she's been busy learning what it takes to display and preserve collections. "It's important that we document the ownership of things, especially pictures. We have to be very careful to make sure we don't violate copyrights."

Although the process is time consuming, she said it's the only way the museum can operate. "We have to know that we stand on solid, legal ground before we take the artifact or picture. Has it been a long process, yes. But, it's well worth it."

She said she's grateful for the assistance and tips received from other curators. The New Hampshire paramedic is pleased with the progress.

Kevin Agard, who has volunteered to serve as webmaster, said a virtual museum is the best avenue. "In addition to pictures, we're also interested in getting oral histories about some of the pioneers in EMS."

Agard said it's important to capture historical tidbits before they disappear.

Scott Cravens, EMS Magazine publisher and museum steering committee member, added, "As a relative newcomer to this industry, the passion of this group is inspiring and contagious. I am very impressed with the dedication of the individuals on the committee and their tireless effort.
We are at a critical point in history when you consider this industry will soon be over a generation away from it's inception, so if we don't act now to collect and document the stories that gave it birth, they will be lost forever."

Five Years Later NYC Unveils 9/11 Memorial Hole

Five Years Later
NYC Unveils 9/11 Memorial Hole
September 6, 2006

NEW YORK—Days before the fifth anniversary of the destruction of New York's World Trade Center by terrorists, city officials gathered on the site where the Twin Towers once stood to dedicate the newly completed 9/11 Memorial Hole.

"From the wreckage and ashes of the World Trade Center, we have created a recess in the ground befitting the American spirit," said New York Governor George Pataki from a cinderblock-and-plastic-bucket-supported plywood platform near the Hole's precipice. "This vast chasm, dug at the very spot where the gleaming Twin Towers once rose to the sky, is a symbol of what we can accomplish if we work together."

A birds-eye view of the magnificent new memorial.
Pataki then cut a ceremonial ribbon to release a giant blue plastic tarpaulin, reportedly the largest of its kind, which fluttered and snapped while slowly settling into the detritus and mud at the bottom of the 70-foot Hole, drawing a long, tired sigh of resignation from the estimated crowd of 50,000 who had assembled to watch and shake their heads.

Begun only days after the 2001 attacks, the Hole covers almost the entire footprint of the original World Trade Center, contains over 16 acres of empty space, and is visible as far away as Hoboken, NJ. Over $175 million has been spent on the Hole's development, and thousands of pages of proposals and designs concerning the site in which the Hole was excavated were reviewed in over 2,800 hours of meetings. Work crews comprising more than 7,500 welders, equipment operators, excavators, and other construction specialists spent long, often unpaid shifts in its depths.

"These five years have been admittedly difficult," Pataki said. "Inevitably, we heard from the naysayers who said we would never accomplish anything on this site. To those people, I invite them to gaze down at this magnificent pit if they want proof of New Yorkers' dedication to this project."

The Hole contains several symbolic features: A massive reinforced-concrete foundation known before 9/11 as the "Bathtub" now serves as the renamed "Remembrance Facing." According to official memorial literature, a gently declining plane into the heart of the memorial stands for the gradual but steady passage of time, and permits construction vehicles to enter and exit the site. Chain-link fences symbolize the present but nonetheless scalable barriers between different cultures. Lastly, the "Eternal Puddle," perhaps the Hole's most notable and arresting, as well as bottommost, feature, allows visitors to reflect on the tragedy, while the rainwater-and-seepage-fed Puddle itself reflects muddy swirls and oil slicks.

Officials did not immediately explain the significance of the ubiquitous yellow "Keep Back" tape present at the site.

Onlookers tolerate the unveiling ceremony at Ground Zero.

Pataki refused to take sole credit for the Hole's completion, instead congratulating former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and current Mayor Mike Bloomberg, saying awareness of the World Trade Center site as a political symbol was important in ensuring the future of the Hole. Pataki also praised The Port Authority Of New York And New Jersey, "whose expert management of the site saw to it that nothing would obstruct the Hole once commuter-train service was restored.

The governor also thanked site developer and leaseholder Larry Silverstein, whose "keen business sense and stubborn desire for the area to be profitable was instrumental in this effort."
Pataki expressed deep admiration for the families of the victims, saying that "their endless and highly vocal input about the memorial were crucial to making the Hole possible in time for the fifth anniversary of the attacks."

"And of course, I commend President George W. Bush, whose administration provided the kind of ample, unquestioning financial support to the rebuilding project for which they are famous, from New York to New Orleans," Pataki said. "Mr. President, you as much as anyone have made the dream of this hole a reality."

The ceremony concluded with a somber wreath-laying ceremony at the Grand Scaffold by former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerek.

"Let this circle of flowers—brief, beautiful, and too soon gone—symbolize the respect we have shown for the memories of those innocents who lost their lives on that sorrowful morning by creating this great hole," said the Reverend Charles Bourne of Lower Manhattan's Trinity Chapel as the flowers sank into the brown, debris-strewn runoff at the bottom of the cavity. "I firmly believe, as does every person here, that this deep, empty hole has come to stand not only for the New York City of today, but also for the transformation of the entire United States since Sept. 11, 2001."

9/11 Ceremony has new twists

9/11 ceremony has new twists
09/05/2006

Remembrance pages focused on 9/11 and the war on terror will be created and put in a binder to be donated to the Bellevue Public Library."We'd like families to work together to create one page of memories - a collage, writing, pictures, mementoes, whatever 9/11 and the ensuing war mean to them," said Bill O'Donnell, president of the sponsoring Bellevue Kiwanis Club."It's a way of teaching kids and bringing families together to wrestle with a landmark event in all our lives.Remembrance pages can be turned in at tables set up at the ceremony.The annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony will honor the men and women who have fought for and gave their lives for our country, as well as the lives lost on that tragic day in 2001. The ceremony is at the 9/11 Memorial in Haworth Park on Monday at 6:30 P.M.The memorial will be rededicated with the addition of gold stars engraved with the name, rank, branch of service, and home town of Nebraskans and Iowans who have lost their lives fighting the War on Terror. Families of the fallen warriors are being invited to attend the ceremony.The 9/11 Memorial consists of two 30-foot flagpoles, both flying the U.S. flag, to symbolize the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The flagpoles flank a pentagon-shaped base with the number "93" in the center, commemorating airline passengers and crew who crashed their plane in western Pennsylvania rather than let it be used in an attack.The ceremony will also include several specialized elements:* About 25-30 citizenship candidates will take the oath of citizenship;* Honor guards will fold the ceremonial flag as the meaning of each of the folds is explained;* A ceremony originated by the New York Fire Department, the sounding of the "four fives", will honor firefighters and emergency responders lost in the line of duty;* Roll Call of the Fallen will rededicate the memorial to each Heartland area fallen warrior;* Emergency responders and senior military officers will join in laying a commemorative wreath, to be followed by the playing of "Taps";* Guest speaker will be Major Gen. Roger Lempke, adjutant general for the State of Nebraska.For more information, contact Bill O'Donnell, president of the Bellevue Kiwanis Club at 898-6766 or 292-3387, or by e-mail at billodonnell1@cox.net.
©Suburban Newspapers 2006

9/11 Ceremony has new twists

9/11 ceremony has new twists
09/05/2006

Remembrance pages focused on 9/11 and the war on terror will be created and put in a binder to be donated to the Bellevue Public Library."We'd like families to work together to create one page of memories - a collage, writing, pictures, mementoes, whatever 9/11 and the ensuing war mean to them," said Bill O'Donnell, president of the sponsoring Bellevue Kiwanis Club."It's a way of teaching kids and bringing families together to wrestle with a landmark event in all our lives.Remembrance pages can be turned in at tables set up at the ceremony.The annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony will honor the men and women who have fought for and gave their lives for our country, as well as the lives lost on that tragic day in 2001. The ceremony is at the 9/11 Memorial in Haworth Park on Monday at 6:30 P.M.The memorial will be rededicated with the addition of gold stars engraved with the name, rank, branch of service, and home town of Nebraskans and Iowans who have lost their lives fighting the War on Terror. Families of the fallen warriors are being invited to attend the ceremony.The 9/11 Memorial consists of two 30-foot flagpoles, both flying the U.S. flag, to symbolize the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The flagpoles flank a pentagon-shaped base with the number "93" in the center, commemorating airline passengers and crew who crashed their plane in western Pennsylvania rather than let it be used in an attack.The ceremony will also include several specialized elements:* About 25-30 citizenship candidates will take the oath of citizenship;* Honor guards will fold the ceremonial flag as the meaning of each of the folds is explained;* A ceremony originated by the New York Fire Department, the sounding of the "four fives", will honor firefighters and emergency responders lost in the line of duty;* Roll Call of the Fallen will rededicate the memorial to each Heartland area fallen warrior;* Emergency responders and senior military officers will join in laying a commemorative wreath, to be followed by the playing of "Taps";* Guest speaker will be Major Gen. Roger Lempke, adjutant general for the State of Nebraska.For more information, contact Bill O'Donnell, president of the Bellevue Kiwanis Club at 898-6766 or 292-3387, or by e-mail at billodonnell1@cox.net.
©Suburban Newspapers 2006

9/11 Memorial Stops in Albuquerque on way to New York

9/11 memorial stops in Albuquerque on way to New York

A bead quilt on board the memorial semi bears the name and photo of Al Marchand of Alamogordo. Marchand was flight attendant on board United Airlines flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center’s south tower.

A group trying to make Sept. 11 a national holiday made a stop in New Mexico this weekend.
“More people got killed on September 11 than at Pearl Harbor,” said Mike Mohn of the group Torches Across America.

New Mexico was the first state to make Sept. 11 a recognition day for all first responders – something that hasn’t been done in New York.

On Sept. 11, 2001, about 3,000 people were killed when hijackers took over four airplanes, running two into the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City and another into the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania.

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the attacks and remember the victims, Torches Across America is taking a semi with two memorials on board to New York. One memorial, a sculpture, will be permanently placed at the World Trade Center site.

The semi itself serves as a memorial too: every victim’s name is written on the outside, along with the flags of the 82 countries who lost citizens during the attacks.

FDNY's Ten House Gets 9-11 Memorial

FDNY's Ten House Gets 9-11 Memorial
Updated: 09-03-2006 10:07:57 PM

By BOB MCMANUSCourtesy of New York Post
AP Photo/Hiroko Masuike

Family members and friends of firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 attacks gather in front of the memorial dedicated to the New York City Fire Department after the unveiling ceremony outside Engine 10/Ladder 10, June 10.

HARRY Meyers joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17, and traveled in straight line from there to Liberty and Greenwich streets in Manhattan, where he will stand ramrod straight tomorrow morning in honor of . . . well, New York firefighters.

The 343 men of the FDNY who died on 9/11.

A volunteer firefighter from Long Island who left his Broadway law office that terrifying morning to join the rescue, and never returned.

All the firefighters who served that day, and who survived.

And every firefighter who has ever answered a bell in New York City - and those who someday will.

That's the point of the memorial to be dedicated tomorrow at Ten House, the fire station damaged so grievously on 9/11 - as was the finest fire service in the nation.
Both have recovered now - Ten House, alas, more fully than the department itse
lf; that wound likely will never fully heal.

But it is time to put the past to rest, and to move on - and that's where Meyers and the Marine Corps come in.

Once a Marine, always a Marine, they say: Marines train together, they fight together, they live together and - sometimes - they die together.

But there is no morbid fascination with death; that is incidental to the purpose of the corps, which is service to the United States of America.

And every Marine, from the rawest boot camp graduate to the most grizzled veteran, knows he is part of something larger than himself, and that he always will be. And that he will never be forgotten by his comrades. Ever.

Such is the ethic of that service, and its soul.

So, too, with the FDNY - and Harry Meyers, who will never forget, either.

An assistant chief of department and Manhattan borough commander, Meyers was a motive force behind the memorial, a profoundly inspiring 57-foot-long depiction of the events of 9/11 from the FDNY perspective.

Its 7,000 pounds of burnished bronze, bolted firmly to the side of Ten House along Greenwich Street, will be there decades - to tell a tale in bas relief of epic heroism in service to the city of New York, but in proper context.

The detail is meticulous, but generic; while each man who died that day is recognized individually, no man or responding unit can be identified in the casting. And that is entirely appropriate: After all, just who lived and who died that day was, largely, a roll of the dice.

Young men routinely present themselves to mortal danger - in theory, every time the bell rings - and while that's simple enough, civilization couldn't exist without such selflessness.
It wasn't just the FDNY on 9/11, of course.

Glenn Winuk, a senior partner at Holland & Knight and a practiced paramedic and volunteer firefighter, was last seen that morning as he grabbed a fire helmet and gloves from the back of a pumper and dashed into one of the towers.

Winuck's remains were recovered the following March, not long after his friend and Holland & Knight colleague, Brian Starer, determined with Meyers and others at the firm that the bravery of 9/11 would be recognized.

They raised $600,000 for the memorial and attended to all the details (not always, sadly, with the full cooperation of city agencies).

And Saturday at 10 a.m., former Mayor Rudy Giuliani will preside at its dedication (while Mayor Bloomberg, oddly, will be in Chicago).

Yesterday afternoon, Meyers and Starer stood in blustery wind and persistent rain outside Ten House, nervous and proud, attending to last-minute details.

Across Liberty Street, gray sky crowded in over Ground Zero - where nothing has been built almost five years on, and where shameful squabbling over a memorial of sorts drags on.
None of that will matter tomorrow, though. The FDNY, like the Marine Corps, looks out for its own.

9/11 Memorial Rolls into Victorville

9/11 memorial rolls into Victorville
Sept. 11 tribute mural makes its way to Harley-Davidson with motorcyclists in tow

By HILLARY BORRUD / Staff WriterVICTORVILLE — At 11 a.m. today, a group of motorcyclists on a cross-country ride called Torches Across America will escort a semi-trailer carrying a 40-by-8-foot Sept. 11 memorial into Harley-Davidson of Victorville.The memorial is dedicated to the survivors, families, public safety personnel and people of New York City and surrounding communities.“For the most part, the truck is a memorial itself,” said Mitch Mendler, a firefighter and paramedic from San Diego who is helping to transport the memorial.He promised artist Kathleen Tonnesen, who created the Milky Way mural on the 6,000-pound memorial, that he would take it to New York City where it will be displayed at Inwood Hill Park from Friday to Sept. 11.The memorial was given to the United States by Canadian citizens, said Mendler, who is the president of the nonprofit organization World Memorial that is transporting the mural. For Mendler, it is a valuable and honorable tribute to the public safety personnel who died in the line of duty during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.Austin Conley, the general manager of Harley-Davidson of Victorville, said he expects 40 to 50 motorcyclists to arrive with the memorial today.The annual Torches Across America ride began independently from the memorial about three years ago, Conley said, when organizer Gary Covert called him and asked whether Harley-Davidson of Victorville would be willing to host an event. There is usually a small ceremony in Victorville that becomes more elaborate each year.Conley said the motorcyclists and memorial will be at Harley-Davidson of Victorville for about an hour.“Gary does this so that people don’t forget,” Conley said.

List of Memorial Events Planned in Hudson County

List of memorial events planned in Hudson County
Saturday, September 02, 2006
SEPT. 11 MEMORIALS
BAYONNE

Calvary Episcopal Church, Avenue C at 45th Street, will dedicate the 10 a.m. service on Sept. 10 to all those who lost their lives on 9/11, those who helped in the rescue effort and those who lost loved ones in the attacks. For more information, call (201) 339-3112.

"To the Struggle Against World Terrorism" - a 100-foot-tall, 175-ton, bronze monument enclosing a 40-foot, steel teardrop - will be dedicated on Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the Peninusla at Bayonne Harbor. The monument is a gift from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the people of Russia and Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. Gov. Jon S. Corzine will speak at the dedication. For information, call (212) 843-8077.

HARRISON
The town of Harrison will hold a 9/11 memorial service and candlelight vigil on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at Roosevelt Park, 415 Harrison Ave.

HOBOKEN
The city of Hoboken will hold an interfaith 9/11 memorial service on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. at Pier A Park on the Hudson River waterfront adjacent to the Erie Lackawanna Terminal. For more information, call (201) 420-2013.
[solid box] Our Lady of Grace Church, 400 Willow Ave., will celebrate a special 7:30 p.m. Mass for Peace on Sept.10. The Rev. Alex Santora, the pastor, will preach and inaugurate a special year of peace. Prayer cards will be distributed to all participants and Andrew Cyr, the pastoral associate for music and liturgy, will perform special organ music. For more information, call (201) 659-0369 or go to www.olghoboken.com

JERSEY CITY
The Friends of Liberty State Park is holding its fourth annual memorial planting for the victims of 9/11 on Sept. 9 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the park. Volunteers will meet behind the park's CRRNJ Terminal sheds. Parking will be available in the Zapp Drive ferry lot. For more information, call (201) 915-3418.

The 9/11 Memorial Committee of Jersey City will hold a memorial service on Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the 9/11 Monument, Grand Street and the Hudson River. For more information, call (201) 332-3117.

The community of Newport will hold a 9/11 memorial service on Sept. 11 at Newport Town Square, Town Square Plaza and River Drive South, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The tribute will include a brass band, harp players and professional soloists along with a flower laying ceremony at the Newport 9/11 memorial. For more information, call (201) 507-9500.

[solid box] A 9/11 memorial ceremony will be held at the fountain in Journal Square on Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. A ceremony will also take place for the newest inductees into the Circle of Honor. The inductees are: Frank Hague, mayor of Jersey City from 1917-1947; Thomas F.X. Smith, mayor from 1977-1981; Former Ward C Councilman Arnold Bettinger; civic activist June Spinello; Thomas "Tex" Reilly, who worked as a police officer in Journal Square; and Domenick Infantes, a police officer killed in the line of duty. A catered reception will be held at 6 p.m. at the Loew's Jersey Theater.

UNION CITY
The city will hold a candle light vigil and poetry reading at its 9/11 memorial, at Ninth Street and Palisade Avenue, at 6 p.m. on Sept. 11.

The Jersey Journal wants to know about any local Sept. 11 memorials being planned. Send information about your memorial for inclusion in an upcoming listing. Fax to (201) 653-2243 or (201) 653-1414, call (201) 217-2423, e-mail jfink@jjournal.com or mail to The Jersey Journal, Sept. 11 Memorials, 30 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ 07306.