Firefighters Memorial

I grew up with a firefighter father.  Back in those days we called them firemen, because they were all men.  Nowadays there are women firefighters as well.  My Dad was the engineer and drove the "big red firetruck" which was pretty cool for us kids.  I remember at least one Thanksgiving dinner eaten at the fire station with the other men and their families.  I remember sliding down the fire pole and hearing the sirens go off up close.

I also remember my Dad being gone for days at a time, fighting big forest fires in California.  I remember not knowing exactly where he was or when he would be able to come home.  This was back in the days before cell phones, so we just waited and watched the news on T.V.

My husband discovered a Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs that honors all of the firefighters who have died in the line of duty, in North America, since 1975.  We had to stop for a visit to honor these men ourselves.  One of these men was my Dad's best friend.

We found the name of my Dad's friend Jim Howe, who left behind a lovely wife and two beautiful young daughters.

It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but this statue depicts a fireman rescuing an infant.

There are walls and walls of names of those who have died in the line of duty.

All of the names on these two walls are the NYC firefighters who gave their lives on September 11, 2001.





Thanks Dad, and all of the other men out there in this line of work who risk their lives daily to rescue and protect all of us.  I appreciate you!!