As many of
you know, a week ago Friday (12/3/99) a great tragedy happened
in Worcester, Mass. Six firefighters died on the job while saving
the homeless and destitute souls we all often deny. When one thinks
back over the incident you realize that it touched thousands of
minds in some form or another. Seventeen children will remember
this Christmas not as "the last Holiday of the millennium,"
but as the year that their Daddy died. This page is in honor of
those fallen "Heroes" for without their loving help
we would be but bumbling humans staggering in this world alone.
And now there are six fewer.
"OUR
FALLEN HEROES"
(in order
from left to right)
Paul A. Brotherton
Joseph T.
McGuirk
Timothy P.
Jackson
James F.
Lyons
Thomas E.
Spencer
Jeremiah
M. Lucey
"A
FIREMAN'S PRAYER"
When I am
called to duty, God
Wherever
flames may rage
Give me strength
to save some life.
And if according
to your will
I have to
lose my life
Please bless
with your protecting hand
My children
and my wife.
Worcester
is only just under an hour's drive from where the AngelFairy lives
so I am closer to this situation than was thought by many. Chuck,
my departed husband, came from there and many of his family are
still in the local area. I have visited there many times and it
always amazes me how very many homeless there are around the area.
There are many abandoned warehouses there and instead of crawling
with rats, which I suppose would be normal, they are crawling
with the homeless. You see. there is no way that Worcester could
possibly build enough shelters for them. It just seems to be one
of those places where a tragedy was waiting to happen. They have
multitudes of hospitals in the area also and the Emergency Rooms
are crammed with the homeless just looking for a bit of warmth
and a meal or two. And although Worcester is one of the poorest
towns going as far as money goes, the actions of these men prove
that it is the richest when it comes to courage. Here are some
of the comments made about the men who gave their all for others~~
Paul Brotherton: A true family man, considered
to be a great firefighter, and when asked for one word to describe
him, "special."
Joseph
McGuirk: He
had always wanted to follow in his Dad's footsteps and be a firefighter,
he was.
Timothy
Jackson: Looked
the part of a rebel on his 'fully dressed' Harley Davidson, but
he dearly loved his gardening and kids.
James
Lyons: He believed
that only when one has 'courage' can one overcome all adversity
and realize his dream.
Thomas
Spencer: He
was always willing to help others in need and this is what he
thought was the hallmark of a 'good person.' He was a good person.
Jeremiah
Lucey: He was
a consummate professional who embraced life and he always carried
his duty 'to the fullest.'
Six men who's
heroic actions will never be forgotten; especially by 17 Fatherless
children.
This has
been an AngelFairy Page made with much love and care. If you would
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This version
of "Amazing Grace" is quite fitting as it is much like
the one played at the memorial service. The main difference is
that there they had a full orchestra of bagpipes, not just a lone
one as this is.
If you have
any questions on this or any of the other AngelFairy Pages do
feel free to contact me at the address below. (also linked for
you)
