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| PFB Station No. 43’s Lt. Dennis O’Grady (second from left) at the Rouge Ales House public reception held June 8, with Engine Company 306 FDNY members (left) Kevin Rooney, Eric Mora and John Hartel. |
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| Photo by Tim Curran |
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| Engine Company 306 FDNY representatives at Mid-county’s Station No. 43 (from left) Eric Mora, Kevin Rooney, Brian Santosus, Robert Reich, John Hartel and Lt. Tom Wojcik. |
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| Photo by Ron Ingemunson |
The barbecue on Friday evening at PFB Station No. 43.
They were honored guests aboard one of the ships in port for the Rose Festival at a luncheon hosted by the Admiral of the fleet.
They had the opportunity to meet and have photos taken with Miss America, Katie Harmon.
They rode the “Freedom Train” float in the Grand Floral Parade.
The Rogue Ales Public House in Northwest Portland feted them at a reception held after their appearance in the Grand Floral Parade.
It was at the Rogue Ales Public House reception that the Memo had the opportunity to meet some of these New York firefighters. What began as an assignment to keep track of names and confirm spellings for photo captions, quickly became a series of poignant conversations. Every FDNY member with whom we spoke talked about how well they were being treated, how impressed they were with Portland and what a wonderful time they were having.
Among those was Lt. David Morkal of Ladder Company 18 on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan, also known as Fort Pitt. Morkal, whose sister lives in Southwest Portland, had visited Portland seven years ago. He was so impressed, he and his wife discussed the option of transferring to the Portland Fire Bureau. After Sept. 11, Morkal explained he now has an “obligation to stay in New York and rebuild the department.” As a result of the losses suffered, FDNY has hired twice as many new firefighters so far this year than in any full past year, he said. Because Morkal has experience teaching at the University level prior to becoming a firefighter, he believes he can play a significant and necessary role in training these new recruits for duty.
Robert Menig, a firefighter representing Ladder Company 35 from the Upper Westside of Manhattan, talked about plans he had to come to Portland. Menig’s plan, in a horrible twist of fate, was unfortunately made to coincide with a dark hour in American history.
Menig’s good friend, Portland firefighter Lt. Vinnie Wilson, a former college roommate in Arizona, was getting married in Portland on Sept. 14. Menig did not attend.
Ladder Company 35 lost 11 firefighters as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks. The recovery effort was a volunteer detail. Menig signed up, in part because he was scheduled to work Sept. 11 and had traded shifts with another firefighter.
“It was an honor. Every day, wives, brothers and other family members called asking if we had found their loved ones,” said Menig. “I had to do it.”
On March 17, after participating in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, Menig again reported to Ground Zero. Menig spoke with humility about the experience.
He explained how the recovery effort worked.
A group of workers would assemble themselves around a small area to be searched. A mechanical devise Menig referred to as the “grabber” would lift away a portion of debris.
The workers would then gingerly rake the area looking for the grisly remains. On this day, as Menig scanned the area, he caught a glimpse of the reflective strip that is on all firefighter clothing.
He waved the equipment operator off; he and the others began working by hand. They uncovered the sleeve of an FDNY jacket. As they gently worked to extricate their fallen brother, they used water from a squeeze bottle to wash dirt from the jacket revealing the name of the firefighter. Menig identified the man not only as one from his own firefighting company, but also as the firefighter with whom he had traded shifts.
Tangled together in that spot, the group removed a total of four bodies, all from Ladder Company 35.
Recognizing that the details could be difficult for an outsider to hear, he simply said , “The first time I was able to talk about this was last night with Vinnie. This is my life now.”
While it sometimes feels that the renewed patriotism associated with Sept. 11 is forced, or perhaps even trite, it was an honor to meet and talk with these FDNY representatives.
From the quiet dignity and graciousness of Eric Mora, (Engine Company 306) the dedication of Lt David Morkal, (Ladder Company 18) the unabashed affection for Ron Ingemunson by Robert Reichardt, (Engine Company 306) the sense of duty and honor displayed by Robert Menig, (Ladder Company 35) and the kinship so obvious among all the firefighters present, this band of brothers and sisters is certainly deserving of our gratitude and respect.
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