by JONATHAN LEMIRE
The FDNY welcomed 175 probationary firefighters yesterday, three of whom already grew up virtually as brothers - because their fathers all graduated in the same Fire Academy class 27 years ago. "I don't think any of us either encouraged or discouraged our sons from joining the department," said FDNY Chief of Special Operations John Norman, whose 25-year-old son, John, was named co-valedictorian. "They chose to do it on their own, they knew what they were getting into." Chief Norman, who will retire next month, was part of the same 60-probie 1979 class that boasted Joe D'Amico and Philip Parr. All three men beamed proudly yesterday as their sons described how growing up around firehouses made them want to join the FDNY. "The guys in my dad's firehouse were always great to me and that camaraderie was great to see," said Anthony D'Amico, 22, who will join Engine 280, his father's old company. "Now, those same guys will be teasing me and helping me out." The graduation, which was held at Brooklyn College and presided over by Mayor Bloomberg and FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, featured an emotional tribute to the 343 FDNY members who died at the World Trade Center - an event that made Parr question whether he wanted his son Paul to join the FDNY. "When I came home for the first time after days at Ground Zero, I said to my son, 'You still want to be a fireman?'" said Parr. "He said, 'Yeah' and, because he was big for his age, I gave him my equipment and three weeks later took him to work at Ground Zero for a few hours." "Afterwards, I asked him, 'Do you still want to be a fireman?'" said Parr, choking back tears as he looked at his now 22-year-old son, "And he said 'More than ever.'" The probie class - which raised $3,000 for the families of Lt. Michael Carpluk and probie Firefighter Michael Reilly, who died in a Bronx fire last month - also boasted 12 military veterans, including four who served in Iraq. "The Marines and the Fire Department both are about helping out other people and protecting your brothers," said Jack Meaney, 29, who spent a year in Iraq. "They're very similar places, and they're what I wanted."
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