Firefighters head to N.Y. for 9/11 Memorial
Firefighters head to N.Y. for 9/11 memorial
By Ryan Mills
Saturday, September 9, 2006
The pain in the faces of the Brooklyn firefighters still burns in the memory of Lt. Sam Cadreau.
Cadreau, a firefighter with the Naples fire department, stayed briefly in a Brooklyn fire house just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York. He was part of a group of four Naples firefighters who raised about $48,000 for the FDNY's Widows and Orphans Fund and traveled to New York in 2001 to deliver the money.
It was during that trip, and a follow-up trip for the one-year anniversary of the attacks, that Cadreau said the two departments formed an intimate bond.
On Thursday morning, Cadreau and four other Naples firefighters boarded a plane to once again travel to Brooklyn to show their respect for the victims and support their firefighter brothers at a memorial service on Monday, the fifth anniversary of the attacks. Joining Cadreau on the trip are Lt. Thomas Torrella, and firefighters Donald Alderman, Steven Hunton and Steven Kofsky.
There were 343 firefighters killed on Sept. 11.
"Firefighters around the world are a brotherhood," Cadreau said. "When we lose one firefighter in any type of situation we all feel the pain and the sorrow."
The five firefighters are staying at the firehouse in Brooklyn until they return home on Sept. 13. Each paid his own way to get to New York, Cadreau said.
Of the three trips Naples firefighters have made to New York since the attacks, this is the first time they've been in the city over the weekend. Cadreau said the guys are going to take advantage of everything New York City has to offer.
"We're going to go out in the evening and go out with the guys and let our hair down a little," Cadreau said. "Monday, it's going to be very serious."
Cadreau said he shipped a box of Naples fire department T-shirts to Brooklyn to give away as gifts.
For three of the Naples firefighters, this will be their first trip to New York. Torrella said he is looking forward to seeing the sights, attending the memorial service and getting a better understanding of how the attacks on the World Trade Center affected the city.
"Being from Florida, it's a whole different environment," Torrella said. "To comprehend it you have to go there and be there to appreciate the enormous impact."
The purpose of the trip is to show support and offer the Brooklyn firefighters a shoulder to cry on come Monday, Hunton said. Hunton, who is from New York, used to deliver fish to the World Trade Center every day when he was younger. He said speaking with the Brooklyn firefighters should be a special opportunity for his group.
"When they talk to some of the guys who were at the World Trade Center when it went down, it's really going to touch their hearts; if they are willing to open up about it." Hunton said. "That's the hard part, getting them to open up about it. But we're going to have some fun too."
A standing invitation to visit Naples has been offered to the Brooklyn firefighters, Cadreau said. He said the courage of those firefighters and other first responders on Sept. 11, never should be forgotten.
"We're looking forward to the trip, but, at the same time, we're looking forward to being with our brothers," Cadreau said.
© 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
By Ryan Mills
Saturday, September 9, 2006
The pain in the faces of the Brooklyn firefighters still burns in the memory of Lt. Sam Cadreau.
Cadreau, a firefighter with the Naples fire department, stayed briefly in a Brooklyn fire house just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York. He was part of a group of four Naples firefighters who raised about $48,000 for the FDNY's Widows and Orphans Fund and traveled to New York in 2001 to deliver the money.
It was during that trip, and a follow-up trip for the one-year anniversary of the attacks, that Cadreau said the two departments formed an intimate bond.
On Thursday morning, Cadreau and four other Naples firefighters boarded a plane to once again travel to Brooklyn to show their respect for the victims and support their firefighter brothers at a memorial service on Monday, the fifth anniversary of the attacks. Joining Cadreau on the trip are Lt. Thomas Torrella, and firefighters Donald Alderman, Steven Hunton and Steven Kofsky.
There were 343 firefighters killed on Sept. 11.
"Firefighters around the world are a brotherhood," Cadreau said. "When we lose one firefighter in any type of situation we all feel the pain and the sorrow."
The five firefighters are staying at the firehouse in Brooklyn until they return home on Sept. 13. Each paid his own way to get to New York, Cadreau said.
Of the three trips Naples firefighters have made to New York since the attacks, this is the first time they've been in the city over the weekend. Cadreau said the guys are going to take advantage of everything New York City has to offer.
"We're going to go out in the evening and go out with the guys and let our hair down a little," Cadreau said. "Monday, it's going to be very serious."
Cadreau said he shipped a box of Naples fire department T-shirts to Brooklyn to give away as gifts.
For three of the Naples firefighters, this will be their first trip to New York. Torrella said he is looking forward to seeing the sights, attending the memorial service and getting a better understanding of how the attacks on the World Trade Center affected the city.
"Being from Florida, it's a whole different environment," Torrella said. "To comprehend it you have to go there and be there to appreciate the enormous impact."
The purpose of the trip is to show support and offer the Brooklyn firefighters a shoulder to cry on come Monday, Hunton said. Hunton, who is from New York, used to deliver fish to the World Trade Center every day when he was younger. He said speaking with the Brooklyn firefighters should be a special opportunity for his group.
"When they talk to some of the guys who were at the World Trade Center when it went down, it's really going to touch their hearts; if they are willing to open up about it." Hunton said. "That's the hard part, getting them to open up about it. But we're going to have some fun too."
A standing invitation to visit Naples has been offered to the Brooklyn firefighters, Cadreau said. He said the courage of those firefighters and other first responders on Sept. 11, never should be forgotten.
"We're looking forward to the trip, but, at the same time, we're looking forward to being with our brothers," Cadreau said.
© 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
posted by "Faces of the Brave" at 8:56 PM
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