Memorial Day
 

I guess memorial day has always had some special meaning for me for a lot of reasons and I am very clear on it's real meaning and I will share some thoughts at this time of the year.

 

When I was very little, I remember Memorial day for a lot of reasons. We lived on a street that had a very large cemetery on it and the traffic on my street was tremendous and as kids we always had to be careful on our bikes and out playing because of this traffic. So I asked early in life why this was so, and I was explained that on this weekend people remembered the war veterans and others who have died. They id this by placing flowers, wreaths or just offered silent prayers at gravesites.

 

Later as I grew up, my dad was very active in Veteran's organizations, with the VFW in particular. Dad was a veteran of W.W.II in the Pacific theater. As dad went through the ranks of the organization, he always kept me involved in some way. As a very young lad I remember each memorial day selling "Poppy's" to help the cause because dad taught me that it was right to help those who had served. On many memorial day weekends when others were preparing for the start of summer fun I spent time helping day wire brush scrape clean and paint the grave markers that held the flags for veterans and then we would go out and place them after reviewing many lists to make sure no one was forgotten.

 

Memorial day is a time to remember.

 

Now in my fire service career I would ask you to take time and remember some veterans of our service. Sure let us not forget our war veterans because without them we would never have any of the things we have today; Our freedoms, our material things; our family friends and what have you. They are first.

 

Let's us as we look back, not only pay tribute, but to make sure that these people have not died in vain. I will reference some of these and you may or may not remember them but let us be sure that if you don't remember them, then maybe they have died in vain after all. We cannot let that happen. You don't have to remember all of the names but please on this memorial day reflect on some of these people who have traveled before us.

 

Let us not forget the persons who died in a horrible training drill in Boulder Colorado, Michigan, and now in New York State as well as others. In their memory let us not kill or injure one another in training.

 

Let us not forget the FDNY members who died when a bowstring truss roof caved in at a supermarket. Or those five in Hackensack, two in Houston, The Church Fire in Texas, store in Delaware, or store in Orlando where truss roofs have failed catastrophically and taken our members. Learn building construction and let their deaths not be in vain.

 

Let us not forget the members killed in the South at a hazardous material leak at a refrigeration plant where anhydrous ammonia exploded, or the member killed when a toluene tank exploded during a recovery effort, or the member in Pennsylvania who died in a confined space incident while training to rescue a child. In hazardous material and confined space incidents lets us use due diligence so our members are protected and these people did not die in vain.

 

As you drive to an incident this weekend please think of all of those that have been killed an injured while responding and returning from alarms. Those that have been thrown from apparatus many injured, disabled and killed. This weekend is a nationwide campaign to buckle up and "Click it or ticket". Buckle up in the apparatus.

 

Let us not forget the Bricelyn Street Three, Meridian Plaza, Adams Street Memphis, Seattle Four, Biloxi, Worcester 6, St. Louis two.................or any of the 100 per year

 

Let us not forget some other veterans as well this weekend. The 343 of the FDNY who were fire service personnel killed as some of the very first casualties in an act of war.

 

This weekend have a picnic with your family, enjoy time off if you have it, give your family a special hug of appreciation, but at some point this weekend go to the cemetery and visit a grave, lay a wreath, buy a poppy from a veteran, watch a parade with feeling, say a silent prayer, reflect, but above all.......

 

remember.