Bring Our Brothers Home

I am sure that many, if not all of you, are wondering exactly why our two New York Locals and the International have decided to postpone the Nov. 18 memorial service on such short notice. This International's first responsibility has been, and will always be, to the members we represent, and to their families.

The scale of loss and the toll of human life that Locals 94 and 854 have suffered are unimaginable. These two affiliates have been deeply scarred, and it will take decades for their wounds to heal. It is not for me, nor is it for you, to judge how these members and especially the families of our fallen heroes should feel right now.

They lost 344 of their brothers in an instant. They have worked around the clock for nearly two months to find their brothers, and thousands of others, who were slaughtered on Sept. 11. And they are prepared to continue that work until it is complete.

When the City essentially ended this Herculean recovery operation, it made a decision to leave nearly 240 of your brothers at the mercy of the seagulls at the world's largest garbage dump. Under these circumstances, and after hearing directly from many distraught widows, the leaders of this International and our two locals made the extremely difficult decision to postpone the memorial service.

I shudder to think that even one of our 245,000 members cannot see and respect why we made this decision. Already two bodies have been pulled from the rubble dumped at the Fresh Kills landfill.

I know in my heart that the overwhelming majority of our members will stand by and with the families and fire fighters of New York City. I also know that, for those of you who were planning to attend, you will look past your own inconvenience and focus on those who are truly suffering. And I know that you will stand in solidarity with our members who are grieving, hurting, yet determined to bring our brothers home.

[to top]