My Visit to New York City, November 29- December 5, 2001

Our heroes wear heavy coats, not red capes. 

They don't leap tall buildings in a single bound; they walk into towering infernos hundreds of stories high.

They have singed mustaches and smudged faces.

They have meat on their bones; and some have a paunch over their belts.

Sometimes they drink too much and sleep too little.

Our Heroes make mistakes; they are not perfect.

"Gotham's Real Heroes Wear Helmets"

~Rhonda Chriss Lohewan, Kansas City Star

 

In November I had the privilege to be able to travel with  fellow firemen from my department to New York City to visit and attend a few funerals.  We saw some of the touristy sights of  NYC, as well as visit "Ground Zero" and attended several funerals of our fallen brothers.  The trip left a grave impression on us and although at times depressing, it was a trip to remember and well worth it.   At the 'wake' of one of the FDNY Firemen, we met a New York Fireman named Tony Pantone.  He took us under his wing so to speak and invited us back to his Fire House to visit that night.  The pictures of the Fire House are from that visit, in an area of Brooklyn called Park Slope. There are so many pictures, and fairly high resolution combined with the fact that they are much more dramatic in a large format, that I just put the thumb nails here, click on each picture to open the actual full sized picture in a new window.  

 
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"10 House" is right Across the Street from the South side of the WTC Complex.		 10house2.jpg (143596 bytes)
This is the Door from either '10 Engine' or '10 Truck' pulled from the rubble of the WTC		 10house1.jpg (158583 bytes)
Memorial outside of "10 House"
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Funeral of  Gregory J. Buck, Engine Co. 201, FDNY		 funeral1-2.jpg (194922 bytes)
Funeral of  Gregory J. Buck, Engine Co. 201, FDNY		 Gulliani Funeral.jpg (200408 bytes)
NYC Mayor R. Gulliani was in attendance.
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Funeral of Joseph Maffeo, Ladder Co. 101, FDNY.		 funeral2-2.jpg (167343 bytes)
Funeral of Joseph Maffeo, Ladder Co. 101, FDNY.		 funeral2-3.jpg (143244 bytes)
Funeral of Joseph Maffeo, Ladder Co. 101, FDNY.
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Ground Zero from 50th Floor, South East of the Complex.		 ground zero 2.jpg (174132 bytes)
Ground Zero from 19th Floor, same building as previous.		 groundzero3.jpg (149108 bytes)
What's left of 5 and 6 WTC from the roof of "10 House".
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Another view of the Pile from the roof of "10 House".		 groundzero5.jpg (122780 bytes)
These are the four of us who traveled from British Columbia, Canada on the roof of "10 House".  Cal, Me, Colin and Mike.		 groundzero6.jpg (167582 bytes)
Another View.
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This "Gash" in a building to the West of "10 House" was about 40' wide and 15 or more stories in height.		 groundzero9.jpg (121247 bytes)
Truck hauling out some of the debris.		 groundzero10.jpg (162298 bytes)
Heavy equipment sifting through the rubble pile.
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From the Viewing Platform, South West corner, below the building we were up on the 19th and 50th floors.		 ground zero6.jpg (120708 bytes)
Me on the roof of "10 House".		 manhatten skyline.jpg (91363 bytes)
Manhattan Skyline without the Twin Towers, taken from the Staten Island Ferry.
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We visited a Fire House in Brooklyn one evening.  This is the home of "220 Engine Co."  Cal, Colin, Mike and I.		 parkslope5.jpg (108978 bytes)
The adjoining "House" is "122 Ladder Co."		 parkslope2.jpg (122973 bytes)
The Truck Bays are huge!
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"220 Engine"		 parkslope7.jpg (101816 bytes)
Cal, Colin and Mike in front of "122 Ladder"		 parkslope9.jpg (94537 bytes)
Colin & I in front of "220 Engine"
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Cal, Colin, FDNY Firefighter Tony Pantone in the Dorm/Locker room of "220 Engine Co."		 thewall1.jpg (127815 bytes)
The 'Memorial Wall' on the streets of Manhattan.		 thewall2.jpg (152621 bytes)
Another view of the 'Wall'.
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Inside a Deli a few doors down from '10 House' facing the street across from 2WTC. 		wtccafe3.jpg (131551 bytes)
Me inside the Deli.		 strawberryfields1.jpg (251062 bytes)
Strawberry Fields in NY's Central Park where John Lennon was killed.  Since George Harrison had just died, there were many people visiting.
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Dana Hannon's Memorial Service at Cedar Hill Church, Wycoff, NJ

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Dana Hannon's Memorial Service at Cedar Hill Church, Wycoff, NJ

 Dana3.jpg (90342 bytes)

Dana Hannon's Memorial Service at Cedar Hill Church, Wycoff, NJ

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Dana Hannon's Memorial Service at Cedar Hill Church, Wycoff, NJ

 

All in all, it was a great trip.  The experience was heart-wrenching at times, some of the stories told to us by the NY Firemen were enough to make you squirm, the close calls, the stories of bravery, the stories of the fallen.  The Firemen of the FDNY have my utmost respect for their hospitality and my sincere condolences for such a loss, they are our brothers as well.

~Ken