The life of the firefighter is a contradiction. Although, like all people, we firefighters fear a violent death, we are, however, at the same time willing to risk it to achieve our mission’s highest calling: saving another’s life. Like all people, we want to be happy and enjoy our families, but yet we are willing to sacrifice time with our loved ones to serve strangers. As firefighters, we are dedicated to the relentless perfection of our craft and strive endlessly to maintain our best physical and mental condition while at the same time recognizing the value and strength of our teams and our teammates.
Jay Jonas, a battalion chief in the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), was a captain on 9/11. Jay vividly recalls that day: He remembers standing in the lobby of the North Tower, the first tower that was hit, when the second plane hit the South Tower. He remembers there were groups of firefighters standing there who said, “This could be our last day here, fellas; it’s been good working with you!” They stood around and shook one another’s hands for a few moments, telling each other how much they enjoyed working with one another and good luck.
Jay understood, and he said it very well: “We knew we were in mortal danger, but we disregarded it.” They disregarded it because there were still people trapped in that building and they had no intention of leaving anyone behind. Jay recalls that he and his crew ran into Captain Patrick (Paddy) Brown in that lobby. Paddy said to Jay, “They’re just gonna send you up, so there’s no point in checking in at the command post,” but Jay felt compelled to go to the command post and check in anyway.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
