As a new day dawned this past September 11, I watched the sun glint off Washington, D.C.’s imposing monuments, just as it had two years ago in the hours before terrorists committed their heinous acts of cruelty that changed our lives forever.

Like all of you, I greeted the new day with a mix of conflicting emotions.

I thought of the indelible scar inflicted on each of our union members, on the families of our fallen FDNY brothers, and our two nations’ citizens.

I thought about the fire fighters in New York and in Arlington, Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area who are still struggling to cope with the horror they saw and the loss they experienced two years before.

Like all of you, I felt grief and sorrow, but also great pride and inner strength, as I looked back at all we have gone through and accomplished since that fateful day.

I thought about tragedy and triumph, heroism and sacrifice, and perseverance and commitment.

I thought about everything you have done as individuals, as fire fighters, as local unions, bonded together, unified as never before as the life blood of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

As the day progressed, many of you gathered in fire stations and at solemn ceremonies to pay respects and reinforce our promise that we will never forget.

Throughout our two nations, somewhere from the recesses of our souls, more tears were shed and more prayers were uttered silently from our lips

It was not easy for any of us to watch the young children recite the names of 3,000 victims from the pit that was once the pile at Ground Zero, and hear the innocent voices of the sons and daughters of our fallen FDNY brothers waver as they read the names .

But we watched and we listened because we had to, just as we had to rise to new heights to confront the challenges that seemed impossible to believe two years ago. We watched and we acted, just as we have done since 9-11 to provide financial and moral support to the families, loved ones, and colleagues of our fallen brothers.

A few hours later, the sun rose over the Rocky Mountains and struck the freshly-engraved names of 77 more IAFF members added this year to the Wall of Honor at the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in anticipation of this month’s annual ceremony. I thought about the thousands of names on that polished granite wall at that sacred site in Colorado Springs, and how each of those names represented a terrible personal tragedy for a family and for their brother and sister IAFF members.

My personal feelings turned to anger as I thought of how some of those fallen heroes died because insensitive elected officials failed to provide the necessary resources to their fire departments. That anger swelled in my gut as I dwelled on the injustices and draconian cuts inflicted on many of you, your local unions, and your fire departments, where you are being asked to do more with less, where your ranks are being reduced by layoffs and attrition.

I thought about the pressures your local union leaders are facing in communities from coast to coast, from the Hudson Bay to the Mexican border, as they fight city councils and county commissions foolishly intent on downsizing their fire and EMS services. And I thought about those courageous affiliate presidents and officers who have been fired or disciplined for union activities and how they continue to fight on, despite the personal adversities they face.

My eyes wandered to a pile of case studies on my desk and some of that anger turned to pride. Those reports documented the work of our International and our affiliates to fight these injustices. As I reviewed them one by one, the victories far outweighed the defeats. In case after case, our joint efforts to protect your jobs, your health and safety, and your dignity prevailed.

I sat in my office in awe as these reports reinforced what I already knew – that the sheer force of our unity, of our ever-growing membership, of our combined dedication and commitment, and of our noble cause have, can, and will continue to carry us forward through good times and bad.

I couldn’t help but smile, knowing in my heart that we will forge ahead together — in memory of those we have lost — on behalf of all of you on the line today and the men and women who will follow in our footsteps.

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