[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      NEW YORK FIREFIGHTER'S TRIBUTE AT NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 12, 2002

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I was honored to attend the annual National 
Prayer Breakfast last Thursday morning, Feb. 7, and to hear the moving 
words of Joseph Finley, a member of Tower Ladder 7 of the Fire 
Department of New York, among the first responders to the World Trade 
Center on September 11.
  I want to share his inspiring remarks with our colleagues, which 
includes the names of the heroes from his firehouse who made the 
ultimate sacrifice that fateful day.
  In a letter to me, he called the prayer breakfast an ``incredible 
experience'' for his wife Maryellen and himself, but it was also 
``bittersweet.'' As he noted, ``We wouldn't have been there to 
experience it if not for September 11th.''
  He also said, ``It was inspiring and reassuring to see that the 
leaders of our nation have a genuine devotion to God. I believe this 
will help make our great country an even better place for our 
children.''
  Mr. Speaker, Joseph Finley's remarks follow:

       Mr. President and Mrs. Bush, it is an honor to be here with 
     you and all of these distinguished guests. I am humbled and 
     privileged to be representing the courageous firefighters of 
     New York City. I am sad, however, for the reason for my 
     participation. I wish that September 11th had never happened.
       Prior to that tragic day, the greatest loss of firefighters 
     at any one time in the entire United States occurred in 1966, 
     when 12 firemen lost their lives in the 23rd Street Fire in 
     Manhattan. My father, Lieutenant John Finley of Ladder 7, was 
     one of them. I was 10-years-old.
       When people run out of a burning building, we firemen run 
     in. That's what we do. But none of us thought, when we joined 
     the fire department, that we would some day be called upon to 
     fight in a war--a war against terrorism.
       For the New York City firefighter, there is an inconsolable 
     wound in our hearts that will never heal. Three hundred 
     forty-three of my ``brothers'' were murdered. Nine men from 
     my firehouse are gone. We will never forget the evil that has 
     been unjustly unleashed upon us.
       When the Twin Towers collapsed, the Fire Department called 
     in every single firefighter in the city. Thousands of us 
     converged on the World Trade Center. Burning paper rained 
     down, grit scratched our eyes, the thick smoke made us cough. 
     Everything was covered in gray ash. The huge plume of smoke 
     was mind-boggling. Our footsteps were muffled by the layers 
     of dust and paper. There was an eerie silence. Who could 
     imagine downtown Manhattan, in the middle of the day, with no 
     one around and we were the only sign of life. the silence was 
     beyond description. No sounds, no sirens, no survivors, just 
     ash, flames and smoke. As we trudged through the wreckage, 
     unable to speak, I literally thought the world was coming to 
     an end.
       It was surreal. There were no words to speak, except the 
     prayer in my heart, which said ``Lord Jesus, have mercy upon 
     us.''
       In the midst of that brooding silence and despair and the 
     wreckage of the Towers--something absolutely amazing 
     happened. Church bells started to ring all over downtown. And 
     we realized that we were not alone. Those ringing bells 
     became a poignant reminder of hope.
       Our neighbor, the New York Yankees' Chaplain, has stopped 
     by our firehouse almost every day since 9-11. He helped us to 
     remember that we have been left with a great legacy of 
     courage, faith, hope and love. Scripture says ``greater love 
     hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends.''
       One century ago, Edward Crocker, chief of the Fire 
     Department of New York, said:

     ``I have no ambition in this world but one,
     And that is to be a fireman.
     The position may, In the eyes of some, appear to be a lowly 
           one;
     But those who know the work which a fireman has to do believe 
           his is a noble calling.
     Our proudest moment is to save...lives.
     Under the impulse of such thought the nobility of the 
           occupation thrills us and stimulates us to deeds of 
           daring,
     Even of supreme sacrifice.''

       Mr. President, I was personally heartened by your own words 
     when you said, ``Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a 
     time. Goodness, remembrance and love have no end.''
       As a child who lost my own father in the line of duty, I am 
     here as proof that we can get through the anguish and the 
     grief. By returning to the Lord, we will survive. With His 
     help, we will prevail.
       And now, an Old Testament reading from the book of Hosea, 
     Chapter 6, verses 1 through 3:

     ``Come, let us return to the Lord.
     He has torn us to pieces
     But he will heal us;
     He Has injured us
     But he will bind up our wounds.
     After two days he will revive us;
     On the third day he will restore us,
     That we may live in his presence.
     Let us acknowledge the Lord;
     Let us press on to acknowledge him.
     As surely as the sun rises,
     He will appear;
     He will come to us like the winter rains,
     Like the spring rains that water the earth.''

     Amen. Thank you.
       The following men from my firehouse were among the 343 
     firefighters who made the supreme sacrifice on September 11, 
     2001, at the World Trade Center in New York City:

     Battalion Chief John Moran
     Captain Vernon Richard
     Lieutenant Kenneth Phelan
     Firefighter George Cain
     Firefighter Robert Foti
     Firefighter Charles Mendez
     Firefighter Richard Muldowney
     Firefighter Douglas Oelschlager
     Firefighter Vincent Princiotta

     

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