By Ray McCormack
Ten years since 9/11, a very long period of time that has ticked away not in years but in days. The death of three hundred and forty three members of my fire department is another number, a number that is still hard to comprehend. The shock of reading and searching for names of firefighters you knew who were missing was almost as shocking as the thickness of the many pages that listed them.
Asking firefighters to Never Forget is not something members of my department need to say to one another. There is no way we could forget, nor should any other firefighter or fire department. There are watershed moments in the history of nations, cities and fire departments, that day covered all three categories. Each member who worked has a story all their own, shared experiences and solo thoughts detailing emotion and action they may or may not share with others.
Things always change over time even in the fire service; a distinction is how this event molded change. No listing is needed; my fire department changed because of that day and changed in spite of it like any other evolving organization. The role of a firefighter at its core remain fundamentally unchanged such as protecting lives.
The legacy of those who were lost that day is carried on by those they touched during life and by those that admire who they were and what they stood for. There is always pride within a fire department, and we should be mindful of how powerful and helpful that can be. The pride displayed by my fire department in all they did and had to do while taking care of business under pressures that no one should have to bear was exceptional. My fire departments pride is still there. The members of my fire department that were taken from us that day sustain us with pride through their actions forever.
My fire department is FDNY and we will Never Forget!
RAY McCORMACK is a lieutenant and 28-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York. He is the editor and publisher of Urban Firefighter Magazine. He delivered the keynote at FDIC in 2009, is lead instructor for Urban Essentials HOT, and the author of the “Tactical Safety” weekly safety column.
