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Two different memorials dedicated to bravery of the Fire Department bracketed this year's 9/11 commemorations, bookends to the tales of sacrifice that are an inherent part of firefighting.
One, a brand-new triptych forged of bronze, details the events of 9/11 from the moment the second plane struck one of the Twin Towers. It sits just feet from Ground Zero, where on Sept. 11 President Bush, Governor Pataki and numerous other elected officials gathered to mark the fifth anniversary of the day the World Trade Center was attacked.
Vintage Fire Memorial
The other, a vintage white marble slab adorning the crest at Riverside Drive and West 100th St. that was built a century ago, depicts a horse-drawn fire carriage rushing to the scene of a devastating blaze. In its sun-dappled shadow, amid the leafy quiet of Riverside Park, firefighters gathered for their own ceremony to remember fallen comrades.
Like the two ceremonies marking the fifth anniversary of the World Trade Center's destruction, the memorials express a common spirit of gratitude and respect, but are worlds apart.
"We prefer something that's a little less political - it's more about remembering what was lost on 9/11," said Battalion Chief Vin Mavaro of Battalion 46.
Battalion Chief George Gabriel, of Battalion 26, also attends the firefighter memorial every year. It's put together by Battalion 18; Engine 45 and Ladder 58; Engine 48 and Ladder 56; and Engine 88 and Ladder 38, and - unlike the Ground Zero event - doesn't attract elected officials.
'For Members, Families'
"It's something for the members and the families," said Battalion Chief Gabriel.
From the music that plays before and after the ceremonial reading of the names of the 343 fallen members of the FDNY, to the special dedication of the ceremony - this year given to Lieut. Howard Carpluk and Probationary Firefighter Michael C. Reilly, both killed in the line of duty Aug. 27 - everything about the event is planned by the rank and file.
"We aren't doing anything special for the fifth anniversary. For us, and for the family members, every day is the same - we miss them all the time," said Firefighter Bill Riccardulli of Engine 45.
'Chief's Idea'
Firefighter Riccardulli, who sings the Star Spangled Banner each year to open the ceremony, said the idea of a firefighter-organized commemoration started at the request of a Battalion Chief in his firehouse as the first anniversary approached.
"He came down the stairs one day and said to all of us, 'Hey, guys, let's do something for the families,' " said Firefighter Riccardulli. "And we sat down at the kitchen table right then and figured it out. We really do organize this mostly the FDNY families - it's all for them. There's not a politician here, if you notice."
Residents Pay Respects
Among the crowd of white-gloved and blue-coated firefighters were many local residents who stopped to pay respects as they went about their morning business. A group of school children from a nearby classroom were brought over by a Teacher, and they diligently followed the list of names being read from the program.
Uniformed Fire Officers' Association President Peter Gorman attended the event, as did Uniformed Firefighters' Association Vice President James Slevin. The union's president, Stephen J. Cassidy, attended an early-morning breakfast with President Bush in a Lower East Side firehouse, and then spent the day visiting other firehouses around the five boroughs, Mr. Slevin said.
Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department and other U.S. cities also flew to New York to participate in the Upper West Side ceremony, as did members from fire departments in Japan, Italy and Germany.
At the ceremony's close, many of the visiting firefighters added their own wreaths and tokens of remembrance next to a small shrine of white paper boxes etched with the faces of some of the victims.
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