This month marks the 20th anniversary of one of the darkest days in U.S. history and one that changed the U.S. fire service. The terrorist attacks initially claimed 343 FDNY lives. However, illnesses that were borne from working the aftermath at the attack site and from post-traumatic stress put an end to careers and, tragically, took lives, too.
A few weeks after 9/11, I visited FDNY’s Engine 214 and Ladder 111 Firehouse in Brooklyn to pick up a memorial shirt. At that time, most stations sold shirts to raise funds for the widows and children of FDNY’s 343 fallen bravest. That firehouse, in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, lost five members, but many of FDNY’s fallen worked at some time at the two companies in the storied firehouse, which affectionately is known as “The Nut House.”
The memorial shirt included the famous “Nut House” logo and was emblazoned with a phrase that sends shivers down my spine 20 years later: “Champions of Courage in the Eyes of the World.” There couldn’t be a more perfect summary for those firefighters who, unknowingly, were thrust into the spotlight on that horrific day.
I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to ride at The Nut House in the 1990s and early 2000s—and that opened the door for me to ride along with nearby Rescue 2. I spent countless nights riding across from Carl Bedigian and Kenny Watson in the back of 214’s cab as they faced forward while assigned to the hydrant riding position. Carl’s infectious smile and Kenny’s unwaning ability to bust chops were burned into my memory as a teenager. Over the years, I met John “JF” Florio and Chris Sullivan from the ladder. I only met Mike Roberts once, but The Nut House loved him. Tragically, their names are emblazoned on the back of the T-shirt. When they were recovered at Ground Zero, they were found huddled together between the debris of the collapsed towers. They were champions of courage that day.
Here we are, 20 years later, and we still are being affected by the terror attacks on so many levels. Many firefighters had their careers come to an early end because of illness or damaged lungs. Sadly, many continue to relive the terror that they witnessed that day or to bear the burden that comes from the loss of their best friend or an entire station, and they are suffering from post-traumatic stress. That said, it’s encouraging to see that FDNY’s Counseling Service Unit is being modeled by fire departments around the country. In the 20 years that have passed since Sept. 11, firefighters all over have encountered their own personal 9/11s, having to witness scenes that they can’t shake from their mind.
I would be remiss to omit mention of two brothers who were lost that day: Pete and Tommy Langone. The deaths of Pete, who was an FDNY Squad 252 firefighter, and Tommy, who was an NYPD Emergency Service Unit Truck 10 firefighter, left voids not only in their families and friends but in the neighboring Roslyn Rescue Fire Company. Tommy was an instructor at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy and molded the minds of many over the years.
In 2001, a buddy from my volunteer fire company was on the FDNY hiring list and was in the first class that was hired immediately after the terrorist attacks. The class—smaller than FDNY’s death toll of 343—graduated New Year’s Eve of 2001, and the slogan that was on their graduation shirt was on point: “Striving to Rebuild What Can Never be Replaced.” That academy class, combined with the classes over the past 20 years, stepped up to rebuild the department into a stronger and better-prepared agency than ever before.
We pause this year to remember our loss 20 years ago—of those who were champions of courage in the eyes of the world—and we recognize all of those who have been sworn in at FDNY’s fire academy, known as The Rock, for the incredible job that they have done to fill the voids of so many who they unexpectedly were forced to replace.
