When the dust settled on September 11, 343 firefighters were listed as missing, and later pronounced dead. In this excerpt from her upcoming book, Lynn Tierney, then a deputy commissioner at the Fire Department of New York, writes about the difficult task of eulogizing her colleagues. EulogiesThere came a time in my life, through the autumn of 2001, when I wrote roughly 100 … [Read more...] about “Be Not Afraid”
Lynn Tierney
Saying Goodbye
It's easier to accept loss if you get to say goodbye. It doesn't make it any less painful or tragic, but it's the finality that's missing for so many who were impacted by the events of September 11th. ℘℘℘ We caught 130 pounds of lobster this morning. The tide was high and the ocean was as smooth as glass. Seals poked up out of the water and cormorants dried their wings standing … [Read more...] about Saying Goodbye
The First Word: What Falls Away
"One hundred and fifty years after the Famine, the spirit of the Irish people was the backbone which America relied upon during the worst attack in our nation's history." – Rudy Giuliani at the Irish Famine memorial dedication in New York. It's hard to believe it's only a year. So much has changed, it seems as if it should have taken several lifetimes. The oddest thing is … [Read more...] about The First Word: What Falls Away
Fathers & Sons
Amidst the hundreds of rescue workers searching at Ground Zero in the months after the 9/11 attacks, many were fathers looking for their sons. Some were firefighters still on the job, some retired, and some never officially with the Department, but all joined in the search for their boys. This is a story about five of them. As you approach the church, you see the fire trucks … [Read more...] about Fathers & Sons
The Heart of a Firefighter
When the dust settled on September 11, one of the 343 firefighters listed as missing, later pronounced dead, was Chief Bill Feehan. A firefighter to his core, Feehan was loved by the men and women in the FDNY. Bill Feehan loved eggs over easy. Every day for the last 20 years at least he stopped at the Northern Cross Diner in Queens and read the Daily News as he had his usual … [Read more...] about The Heart of a Firefighter