| Hamden Fire Retirees' Association |
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
RETURN TO SEPTEMBER 2021 PAGE
Revised 9/13/2021
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FLAGS TO BE
FLOWN AT
HALF-STAFF
TODAY
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| WTC - 11/6/00 (Dan Johnson) |
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NEVER FORGET!
We will always remember our brother firefighters who made the supreme sacrifice, and the thousands of other innocent victims who lost their lives 20 years ago on September 11, 2001.
Always keep them, their families and the FDNY in your thoughts and prayers.
Please remember to observe a minute of silence today at 8:46 a.m.
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| Station 4 - Saturday, September 15, 2001 |
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Governor Lamont Directs Flags To Half-Staff Saturday in Observance of 9/11 Anniversary
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(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, September 11, 2021, in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Accordingly, since no flag should fly higher than the U.S. flag, all other flags – including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise – should also be lowered during this same duration of time.
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In addition, Governor Lamont announced that the state will illuminate the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven – informally known by many residents as the Q Bridge – in red, white, and blue lights beginning at dusk on the evenings of Friday, September 10, and Saturday, September 11, in recognition of the anniversary. Beacons capable of projecting light nearly six miles into the clear night sky will be lit until the early morning hours.
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“On this terrible day 20 years ago, tragedy struck close to home, changing the lives of so many families here in Connecticut and throughout the United States,” Governor Lamont said. “We will forever pay tribute to the innocent lives that were taken all too soon and honor the heroism of those who gave their lives while rescuing others, including many first responders. We also pay tribute to the brave men and women of the U.S. military who serve our nation and protect our freedoms, as well as the many military heroes whose lives were lost in the ongoing battle to keep us safe since 2001. Let this anniversary serve as a reminder of the unity and compassion that bonded all of us as a nation in the weeks, months, and years following this tragedy, and recommit ourselves to improving our world for the better.”
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“We will forever remember and never forget the tragedies of September 11, 2001,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “The lives of thousands of American families were changed in a single moment that day, and today we share their grief and pray for their healing. Today and every day, we honor the memories of all those we lost on September 11 and thank our first responders and military personnel for protecting us and defending our country. May this day continue to serve as a reminder that we must remain committed to each other as people and as Americans.”
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The State of Connecticut’s official 9/11 memorial honoring the victims of the attacks is located on a peninsula at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, where on a clear day the Manhattan skyline can be viewed across the Long Island Sound. It features a stone engraved with the names of the people with ties to Connecticut who were killed in the attacks.
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The state park was chosen as the site for the memorial because it is the location where many people in the immediate aftermath of the attacks gathered to observe the devastation on Lower Manhattan across the sound. The site was also used by the Connecticut National Guard in the following days and weeks as a staging area for Connecticut’s relief efforts to New York City.
Posted 9/10/2021
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| Three years ago, Ff. Gary Greene, Capt. Jason Blyth, and Firefighter Vic Jackson, pictured above, shared their memories of 9/11 along with Lt. Jeff Naples and Ff. Kurt Vogt. Links to the print and online versions of their stories are below. |
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9/11/2001 Remembered
In conjunction with our annual 9/11 tribute to the FDNY in 2018, retired Dep. Chief Clark Hurlburt emailed the website with his recollection of that terrible day and the poignant experience that followed a year later, which we share once again with our website visitors.
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"On September 11, 2001, with the bus leaded up and ready to go, we followed IAFF and FDNY directives and stayed put awaiting further orders. As there were no rescues to accomplish and the pile was FDNY territory we stood down.
"A year and a month later, at the annual FDNY Memorial Day Ceremony, representatives from Hamden Fire were incredibly honored to take part in the ceremony as flag bearers in the Parade of Colors at the beginning of the event, where the middle section of Madison Square Garden was ringed with American flags, each brought in and held by a firefighter during the playing of the National Anthem.
"I have the program book from that day and am attaching a scan of the cover. An amazing and moving experience."
Clark Hurlburt
Deputy Chief, HFD (Ret.)
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In a subsequent email, Dep. Chief Hurlburt, then a company officer, stated he believed that, in addition to himself, Batt. Chiefs Bill Coppola, and Paul Wetmore Jr., they were accompanied by then-Capt. Don LaBanca and Firefighter Rob Madigosky. He wished he had a complete list. Does anyone know? hfdbadge102@aol.com
Originally posted 9/14/2018
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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The day that was that day . . .
Platoon 4 had just finished its three-night shift when Platoon 3 started its first of three days - it was Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001.
One firefighter was on vacation and there were three vacancies, including one officer, resulting in four personnel hired extra duty for the day shift.
Engine 2 was being manned by Captain Bob Surprise, Firefighters Gary Merwede (pump operator), Rob Madigosky, and John Bradbury. Rescue 2 was manned by Firefighters Jay McCarthy and Scott Chasney.
Chief Merwede noted recently, "I was on the phone at the watch desk talking to [Captain Dave] Strawhince, who was extra at 9s when the 2nd plane hit. We were watching on CNN."
Eleven of the twenty-three personnel working that day are still on the job today. Not bad.
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The Following Weekend
On Saturday, September 15th, a small caravan of automobiles wound its way around northern Hamden in support of our country and whatever retaliation would be meted out to those whose attacks on 9/11 brought down the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon, and resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocents, including the heroes of United Air Lines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, who it is believed thwarted a deadly assault on a major D.C. landmark.
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| * Heading south at the Glenwood |
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| * North on Evergreen, approaching School Street |
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| * East on School Street at the Elks' driveway |
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| * East on School Street nearing Whitney |
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| * The caravan concluded in front of Hamden's Memorial Town Hall, where many off duty Hamden firefighters were gathered with those on-duty to support the families and colleagues of our 343 brothers of the FDNY. |
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| * Left to right: Off-duty Captains John Spencer and Don LaBanca (behind spencer), Asst. Chief Ed Badamo, Firefighter Rob "Maddog" Madigosky (in jeans), and Chief Tim Sullivan. The Co. 7 member is unidentified. |
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| * A unifying symbol when it was most needed. |
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| * Our own then-Captain Don LaBanca often represented the HFD in almost any LODD observances in the northeast. In retirement, B/C LaBanca continues to do so whenever possible. |
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Our staunchest ally during the last century, the nation from which we gained our independence in the 18th century, paid tribute to the United States of America on September 12, 2001. During the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the Coldstream Guards played "The Star-Spangled Banner," as authorized by Queen Elizabeth II.
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As one commentator wrote, "For those interested, this is the only time in it's 200 year history that another country's national anthem has been played outside Buckingham Palace, apart from during state visits. Her Majesty the Queen personally authorized the Coldstream Guards to break protocol and play this, to give some comfort to Americans stranded in London due to airport closures. It is literally the highest gesture of solidarity Britain could show to another country." Watching this video, you can readily see that the gesture was genuinely appreciated.
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On September 11, 2021, the United Kingdom observed the 20th anniversary of 9/11 the same way it had the day after September 11th twenty years ago.
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