9.11
I'm a New York City firefighter, as was my father and his father before him. Being Irish Catholic, most of my relatives were hard-nosed cops. It was always a verbal battle when the family got together. Who was tougher, braver and more active always came up during heated debates- especially after a few drinks. My grandfather always started off his argument with, "Well, I used to work in the Bronx. We didn't have all your fancy equipment. It was hustle, courage, and dedication that got the damn job done." That was the start to a loud and uproarious argument. "Pop, you think we ain't got heart? Look at the news. You see thousands of guys pulling together and that kind of stuff happens every day. It didn't take this kind of act to get us united. We're always a team!" Lately however, I would end our arguments with a smart ass comment like, " You were never in the position I'm in right now with all that's going on in this city. You may think you've seen tough times, bad fires, horrible accidents but you've ain't seen nutting like this. You can't ever imagine in your worsted nightmare what ground zero looks like." Dust, glass, pieces of steel and stone mixed in with some body part. It's actually erie at times p
I have to respect my father's opinions even though I strongly disagree. He is my father! Most guys at the station feel the way I do. They want English speaking, baseball loving neighbors. "Sure son, but on one condition. You spend a day with me sometime soon and we'll visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I only took you there when you were very little and I think you need to go back to see the history of how our people and many others came to America. It didn't matter then where you came from. You were just grateful to be here." Sometimes during the night we'll continue our argument about all the foreigners in our country. "This whole disaster was caused by those who are jealous of us" I'll tell him. He believes that immigrants made this country great and I disagree and want the gates of America closed. Many jobs that are readily available go to these immigrants simply because they are paid cheaper and will work longer hours. Those who have been here all their lives have to struggle to get a decent job and be paid a fair wage. "Do you know how hard it was for me to get a job in the city, dad? You know how hard I worked my ass of to be a firefighter. It wasn't this hard for you." It's a long, drawn out discussion and becomes very loud at times. He lectures me on that "melting pot" crap. "You know son, the Irish, Italians, and all the other immigrants 'melted' into the 'pot' called the United States of America and they became true Americans." That's simply historical data as far as I'm concer! As the Towers fell I could only see the smoke, hear the noises, screams, and panic of a city helpless and scared. I made the sign of the cross, said the Act of Contrition, and thanked God that he spared my life that day. Our company was ordered to stay back for two more hours, but it seemed like eternity. I wandered away from our truck until the chief called me. "O'Donnell, where the hell you think you going?" The chief never held back his orders and you always knew what was on his mind. So now for nearly twelve hours, I've been passing buckets of rocks, steel, and who knows what else down a row packed with fellow firefighters, policemen, red cross, and countless numbers of other volunteers. It's been mindless work and I've cried more times than I care to discuss. To h
Some common words found in the essay are:
Irish Catholic, Act Contrition, Americans That's, Tonight I'm, Miss Liberty, Statue Liberty, Polish Germans, Irish Italians, York City, , island statue, i'm tired, ellis island, statue liberty, disaster caused, island statue liberty, ellis island statue, americans that's,
Approximate Word count = 1560
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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