1.
Last Alarm - Legacy
"Brothers"
FDNY
343
For all who have paid the Ultimate Sacrifice.
-and-
For all those who continue to rush towards danger while others are rushing out.
Brothers all.
For those of us living here in the United States, September 11th is a date that will always be remembered as one of the most horrifying tragedies that occurred here in America.
And while we who live here in this country remember how we were all personally affected by the tragedy that happened here on our own soil, the truth is, the tragedy that occurred also affected many worldwide as well.
And for many, the shock of what happened on that day moved people from all around the world to react in horror at what they saw, and as a result, generous outpourings of sympathy and support came from people of all nations, who were moved by the goodness of their heart to show kindness in whatever way they could, regardless of how they may have felt about America and Americans before.
For the rescue worker however, September 11th 2001 has a special meaning, because on that day, of the over 3000 civilian and Military personnel that died in the World Trade Center Towers and at the Pentagon…..more than 411 of our fellow Police, EMS, and Fire Department "Brothers" and Sisters" died trying to rescue them.
News of a fellow firefighter, policeman, or paramedic involved in an LODD (Line of Duty Death) travels fast in our circles, and being an active duty firefighter myself, the loss of a fellow rescue worker in the line of duty affects all of us regardless if we knew the person or not.
And so even before the news was made known to the public, the official count of how many of our brother firefighters were either dead or missing reached firehouses across the country.
And like many of my fellow firefighters all around the country, we were stunned by the huge loss of our FDNY "Brothers".
As brother firefighters, every firefighter in the United States tried to help out in whatever way we could.
But it was how firefighters, police, and rescue workers from all around the world responded to the tragedy that showed all of us just how large and how strong the "Brotherhood" really is.
And regardless of what continent they lived on, or political views that they may have had before, rescue workers and Law Enforcement personnel from all around the world offered to help in whatever way they could, including helping to search the rubble at the World Trade Center.
And when asked by reporters why these rescuers from all around the world came to New York to aid in the search, or why they were donating funds, supplies, and letters of support to the Fire and Police Department of New York?
"We want to help our New York "Brothers", was the response.
"Brothers" was a one-shot story I had written to honor my brother FDNY firefighters as well as all of the rescue workers who died on September 11th, and was posted before on fanfiction.
However, I decided to re-post this story on it's own because it's set in a future setting, although this story is still loosely based on the characters and storyline from "Last Alarm", a story that I'm still currently writing.
This story is purposefully set many years after the events that occurred in "Last Alarm", and depending on how I finally decide to end "Last Alarm" may or may not eventually be incorporated into another story I'm thinking of writing involving the children of the HOTD cast that will be titled "Last Alarm-Legacy".
However, for right now this story takes place in an "alternate" universe and is meant to be its own story and not necessarily a continuation of "Last Alarm," because as of yet, I have not determined exactly how "Last Alarm" will actually end so as not to spoil anything for anybody.
"Brothers" is not meant to be a controversial story or one that would involve world politics or the current conflicts going on in the world; rather, it is a simple story to honor those who put others' lives before their own, in times of tragedy.
*DISCLAIMER: The characters from the original Japanese manga and anime High School of the Dead, are not mine.*
Date: Present Day
Time: Noon
Geographic Location: Tokonosu Memorial Park
East Section of Tokonosu City, Japan
Approx: "Safe Zone" - 10 Kilometers from Tokonosu Naval Base
On top of a lone grassy hill located not far from the bay area of the now mostly desolate City of Tokonosu, six of the surviving members of the infamous "Tokonosu Ten" sat with their young children under the shade of a large sakura tree, as one of their number described the harrowing account of their survival during the horrifying moment in human history known as "The Outbreak".
Now a grown woman and mother, Saya sat on a large picnic blanket speaking to the small group of teenage children who were sitting in a semi-circle around her, listening eagerly to every detail of her tale of the horror that she, as well as their parents, had experienced while running for their lives from "The Infected" during the beginning days of "The Outbreak".
And as Saya told her version of the story, all of the children could plainly see the turmoil that was still visible in her eyes over that heartbreaking incident so long ago.
A look each of the teenage children of the infamous "Tokonosu Ten" were all too familiar with, since it was the very same look that was always ever present in the eyes of each of their parents whenever the subject of "The Outbreak" was ever mentioned.
"Wow Mom, I'll bet you were surprised to find out "Jimu-ojisan" was a fireman and not a soldier, huh?" Saya's youngest daughter Reiko said looking up at her mother as Saya had just finished relating to the group of young teenagers sitting before her how the man everyone had known as "Ojiisan" had revealed to her and her friends of his true identity.
"Surprised" is hardly the word I'd use." Saya said with a scowl as she adjusted her glasses.
"Shocked would be a much better word, actually." Takashi said with a grimace as he sat next to his wife behind the children. "I never expected that he was anything but a soldier-of-fortune, myself."
"It certainly caught me completely off guard." Saeko admitted sitting behind her daughter Oyuki. "And I was the one who confided with him most."
"Yup, that old guy had us all fooled, all right." Saya said with a smirk. "I personally wonder how long he would have kept us in the dark about that if he hadn't been caught."
"Actually, if Jim hadn't been hurt the way he was, he would have never told you at all... period, lass." Andrew Poynton interrupted sitting next to his wife, the former school nurse Shizuka and their two daughters, Alice and Akane.
"And the reason Jim would have never said anything about it was because he realized that if any of you knew he was originally a firefighter and only a "fill-in" mercenary medic, you guys would not have felt as secure with him the same as if all of you thought he was a professional soldier." The former SAS commando said with a smirk.
"And those pricks you kids met during the Outbreak would have been a lot harder to deal with if they also knew who he really was." Andrew added.
"Ojisan?" Saeko's adopted daughter Oyuki asked looking at Andrew.
"Why did "Ojii-san" quit being a fireman and become a mercenary?" Oyuki asked as SAT Commander Rika Minami, who had been sitting next to Saeko and Oyuki sucked in her breath and then glanced nervously over at Andrew, waiting anxiously for his response as Saeko placed her hand on Rika's shoulder.
The former SAS commando had noticed Rika's sudden reaction and knew full well why his old friend Rika Minami had responded with such alarm at Oyuki's question, as he paused for a moment before turning his attention back upon the curious faces of the children sitting before him, each of them eagerly awaiting his answer.
"When we were at the school where Takashi's mother worked, your Rika oba-chan and I found Jim sitting all alone on the roof of the school the day before the helicopter evacuation..." Andrew began solemnly. "And among the great many things we talked about, Jim confessed to me and your Oba-chan why he became a firefighter…. and then he explained why he left."
"Jim had told me and Rika that he had wanted to be a firefighter for most of his life…" Andrew began a thin smile forming on his face as he spoke. "And the reason for that was because he had an uncle who worked as a fireman, whom he used to visit all the time at the fire station his uncle worked at."
"However, when Jim grew up, he decided that what he really wanted to do was leave home and join the American Navy and become a SEAL." Andrew said with a chuckle.
"Like daddy?" Oyuki said as Andrew glanced over at Saeko's daughter and grinned.
"Yeah, honey." Andrew said winking at Oyuki as Saeko blushed. "Just like your daddy."
"So why didn't he become a SEAL then?" Toshi, the son of Takashi and Rei asked as Rika lowered her eyes. "Why did he decide to become a fireman instead?"
"I have to admit, I've always wondered why Jimu-san became a fireman if he really wanted to be a soldier like you, Uncle?" Saya asked as Rei nodded her head in response.
"That is something I've always wondered myself." Rei added. "He never spoke of it, as far as I can remember."
"You mean he never told any of you kids, why?" Andrew asked in amazement as all of the other adults shook their head in response as the eyes of all of the children as well as the adults stared back at him, waiting for a response.
"F_ck me…." Andrew thought to himself as he felt Shizuka place her hand on his arm and squeeze gently, as he glanced up and noticed Shizuka's eyes were visibly pleading for him to change the subject.
For a long moment Andrew said nothing, dumbfounded by this latest revelation as he then cast a quick glance over at Rika and saw the heartbroken expression on her face as his own thoughts drifting to the night his best friend had revealed to the both of them of his tale of regret and personal heartbreak, which had caused the former fireman to question everything he had done in his life including his occupation, and ultimately come to the decision to walk away from everything he once knew and loved, as he began his new life as a combat medic with GREEN Team.
But as he gazed upon the face of the woman whose heart was still very shattered over what had happened during their escape at the bridge all those years ago, the former commando realized that now was not the time to answer that question to these young people just yet.
The pain in everyone's heart had taken many years to heal after what had happened all those years ago, but for Rika, the wound in her heart had never healed and the pain had never left, and as far as Andrew could tell, it probably never would.
The wound in Rika Minami's heart was just too deep.
"Tell you what kids, I'll tell you all about that some other time…" Andrew said finally as moans of disappointment erupted from the children as Andrew cast a quick glance over at Rika as Saeko was giving her a reassuring hug, the other adults realizing the subject was still much too painful for their dearest friend to talk about.
"Thank you..." Rika mouthed silently as Andrew nodded his head.
"But for now, I want to show all of you something..." Andrew continued as he looked over at Saya.
"Saya, would you mind if I show something to the kids, before you continue on with your story?" Andrew asked as Saya looked at him quizzically.
"Of course, Uncle…go ahead." Saya replied still wondering along with her friends what had made Rika and Andrew react so seriously all of a sudden.
"Honey, would you hand me that ruck?" Andrew said to Shizuka, pointing to a tan-colored knapsack sitting on the ground behind her.
"Hai…." Shizuka said as she reached behind her and grabbed the knapsack and then held it out to him.
"Thanks, love." Andrew said as he took the knapsack from her, as everyone stared in curiosity at the noticeably large object that was bulging within.
And as the children and their parents watched, Andrew then got up from off the blanket, and walked around until he was in front of all of them as he knelt down as he reached into the knapsack and pulled out an old black fire helmet with yellow reflective decals on it.
"This is your "Uncle Jim's" fire helmet from the very first Fire Department he worked for, kids." Andrew said as the children all got up and leaned closely, breathing "oohs" and "aahs" as they inspected the helmet in Andrew's hands before he handed it over to Oyuki to pass between the children.
"Wow, it's heavy." Oyuki said as she hefted the helmet, before her "cousin" Reiko grabbed it rudely from her as Oyuki and Saya scowled at her for her rudeness.
"What's it made of, Andrew-ojisan?" Reiko asked as she rapped her knuckles on the crown of the helmet . "It doesn't feel like metal."
"It's made of leather, kids." Andrew said as everyone looked at him in disbelief.
"Leather?" Takashi said quizzically as he reached over and took the helmet from Reiko and examined it, as Reiko pouted. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I thought Jim was kidding about that when he first showed it to me…." Andrew said with a chuckle as Takashi passed the black helmet back to the children as they then began to fight over it.
"But then Jim explained to me that American fire helmets were traditionally made from leather in the old days because they were so heat-resistant." Andrew explained as Saya hissed at her children to behave as the squabbling over the helmet immediately ceased.
"But nowadays they use fiberglas instead, because it's tougher and a lot cheaper too." Andrew added as a frown formed on his face for an instant, and then suddenly disappeared.
"Uncle, what's wrong?" Saeko asked noticing the frown on Andrews face as everyone looked up with concern.
"Oh nothing hon, just something Jim told me about this helmet once…" Andrew added as he looked back again over at the children.
"Anyway, your "Ojisan" was a Paramedic for thirteen years before he finally changed over to the Fire Department." Andrew continued as the children took turns hefting the heavy helmet and placing it on their heads. "And he told me that when he finally became one, it was one of the proudest moments of his life."
"He also told me that going through the Fire Academy was pretty tough for him though." Andrew continued with a chuckle after seeing Reiko's head disappear as she tried to place the helmet on her head.
"Why, was becoming a firefighter really that hard?" Saya asked as Andrew reached his hand over towards Reiko.
"It's not easy, but it wasn't because it was too tough academically or physically that he couldn't handle it…." Andrew went on as he lifted the helmet off Reiko's head and passed it to Midori. "But the reason he had a tough time of it was because when he went through the Fire Academy, he was still working full-time as a Paramedic too."
"He was still working and going to Fire school?" Rei asked curiously. "I thought they used to pay you to go through all that."
"Not all Departments were the same back then, love." Andrew explained. "Jim actually paid for his Paramedic and Fire training on his own, while still working full-time at other jobs."
"Wow, I never knew that." Saya said with surprise.
"Jim often kept a lot about his life to himself." Andrew said with a smirk as Rika nodded her head silently.
"Anyway, when Jim was finally accepted into the Fire Academy, his classes were eight hours a day, six days a week, with only one day off." Andrew added.
"And on his one day off which was Sunday, he was still working as a Paramedic on an ambulance for 24 hours, during which time if there were no calls, he would be busy studying for his exams until he got off from work the next day."
"And then after leaving his shift at his Paramedic job which was located in a small city named Seguin, about 40 miles from his home in San Antonio, he had to head out to the Fire Academy and be there at 0800 sharp on Monday morning." Andrew said as the adults looked at him in amazement.
"And then after his classes were over for the day, he had to drive back to the City of Seguin and work two - 12 hour shifts, one on Monday night and the other on Wednesday night."
"He did that for six months." Andrew said as everyone looked at him in shock. "And he kept that up even when he got extremely sick with a bad chest infection towards the end, and the instructors at the Academy finally told him to go home and rest up because he had been sick all week."
"That's crazy!" Saya's son Ryuunosuke replied. "How did he manage to do that every day for six months without a day off?"
"When a person is motivated enough to accomplish whatever goal he sets before himself, he'll achieve it no matter what hell he has to go through, lad." Andrew explained, pointing at his tan beret with the emblem of the 22nd SAS Regiment stitched on the front and then at the charcoal-grey beret Takashi wore that identified him as a member of the newly-formed JSDF "Ghost" SOF Detachment.
"And Jim could be a pretty determined fellow when he wanted to be, even for a Yank." Andrew said with a grin.
"I still think that's crazy." Ryuunosuke said as Andrew chuckled.
"Every person is different though kids," Andrew continued. "Some guys will reach out for something they're motivated to reach out for, but when the going gets too tough, they'll realize that maybe what they wanted is not worth the trouble and bugger off."
"And then there are some who push themselves past their limit and keep on going until they've reached that goal…." Andrew added. "And Jim just happened to be one of those pushed himself, until he accomplished what he had set out to do despite the hardships."
"And if you ever asked Jim, he'd tell you it had all been worth it because I know how much he really loved being a fireman and working with the guys he served with." Andrew said with a thin smile. "After all, he did work as a Firefighter- Paramedic for 25 years before he retired to come work with us."
"And for him, it was a great honor to have earned the right to wear this." Andrew said tapping the helmet with his finger as he suddenly laughed dryly.
"Ojisan, what's so funny?" Reiko asked as everyone looked at Andrew as if the SAS commando had lost his mind.
"Oh, just a funny story Jim told me about the day of his graduation from the Fire Academy." Andrew said with a chuckle.
"What happened?" Oyuki asked curiously as the children leaned closer.
"Well, like I said before, Jim was exhausted after six months of constant training classes and work without any days off except for that one day off because he was sick." Andrew began.
"And now six exhausting months later came the big graduation day, and so Jim was on his way to the assembly hall for the graduation ceremony, and he decided to stop by a shopping mall to pick up something." Andrew explained. "And he told me that he was just walking out the front door all dressed up in his nice clean fireman's uniform, some woman suddenly came running up to him all excited and yelling, "SIR!", "SIR!"
"What happened…..was she hurt?" Oyuki asked eyes wide with excitement. "Did something happen?"
"Actually…" Andrew continued shaking his head. "Jim told me that she was just some woman whose church group was out on a treasure hunt for some church benefit of some kind."
"And one of the things she needed to find was a "security guard" that was on her list of things to find for the treasure hunt." Andrew said with a grin.
"WHAT!" Oyuki replied with disgust. "Ojii-san wasn't a security guard, he was a fireman!"
"That's what Jim said, although a lot more politely." Andrew replied with a chuckle at Oyuki's angry reaction. "And then the lady turned around towards one of the referee's standing nearby, and asked her right in front of him…."
"Rita, he's not a security guard, he's a fireman…..is that good enough?" Andrew said as he gazed upon all the shocked expressions on the faces of the adults and children and laughed.
"Yup, that's pretty much how I felt when Jim told me that too." Andrew said chuckling.
"What did he do?" Midori asked looking like she was about to explode with rage. "I hope he told her off!"
"Most people would have had a fit, I agree." Andrew replied. "Especially after all that Jim went through to become a fireman, just to unintentionally be insulted on his graduation day."
"And I know I would have said a few choice things myself if she had said something like that to me after finishing "Selection." Andrew added.
"But Jim, being Jim…" Andrew continued.
"He politely told her in his own polite, but still sarcastic way that he was sorry that he wasn't qualified enough to meet the specs of her treasure hunt rules, and then he wished her luck, and calmly walked away." Andrew said as Rika suddenly began to laugh at the memory of her own experience with the former fireman's twisted sense of humor.
"Jim was always very proud of being a fireman, and he also shared their sense of humor, so he laughed it off and went to his graduation." Andrew chuckled.
"Oji-san, what's this…..?" Takashi and Rei's son Toshi asked pointing at a red and gold sticker on the helmet just above the brim.
Andrew sighed as he looked at the small decal that the young boy was pointing at that was slightly frayed at the edges and smudged with black soot, as everyone noticed a strange look suddenly come over Andrew's face.
"9-11-01 "Brothers". Andrew read out loud as the children leaned closer to peer at the small red and gold colored helmet decal on the back of the helmet.
"That Toshi, is a decal that was made by some of the Firefighters in the Houston Fire Department to honor the 343 New York Firefighter's killed on September 11th during the attack on the World Trade Center in New York." Andrew explained.
"Jim had friends of his that worked in the Houston Fire Department, and one of his friends gave him and a whole bunch of other firemen the same decal to wear on their helmets to show their support for the Firefighters in New York."
"Why does it say "Brothers" Oji-san?" Reiko asked Andrew as all of the adults looked at Andrew noticing the serious look that had formed on his face as he took a deep breath and then continued speaking.
"For those in the Military and Emergency Services, kid's….." Andrew began to explain. "There has always been a friendly rivalry between everyone in the "Services".
"For the Military folk, we make fun of the Navy, Marines and the Air Force, and likewise, they make fun of all of us in the Army."
"Sometimes the rivalry can get ugly, but when enemy fire is flying at you, all that rivalry stuff stops and that person next to you is your "brother", and you'll do anything to help keep him alive and he'll do the same for you, no matter what Branch you serve." Andrew added.
"It's the same for the people in Rescue and Law Enforcement, kids." Andrew continued. "The cops make fun of the firemen, the firemen make fun of the cops, and the paramedics make fun of everybody."
"But when someone goes down, that rivalry stuff stops and that person whose hurt is no longer a "hose-jockey", or a "donut-muncher", or a "meat-wagon driver".
"That person that is hurt is your "brother" or "sister", and they will kill themselves trying to come help you no matter what Service you serve in." Andrew explained.
"Camaraderie is very strong in the Military and Emergency Services, kids." Andrew went on. "The nature of the job depends on it."
"That's why it's referred to as a "brotherhood", because despite our differences, we're family and we take care of each other when all is said and done."
"And Jim told me that in the Fire Service, "Brotherhood" is something taken very seriously….." Andrew said as he took the helmet from Toshi.
"And so when the World Trade Towers fell after the terrorist attack on September 11th, people reported everywhere about hearing firemen yelling "Are you okay, brother?" or "We got you brother" every time they came across an injured fireman."
"Jim told me that the Fire Service has always been a strong "Brotherhood"….." Andrew said. "And on that day, and in the days after the attack, everyone in the world got to see just how strong that "Brotherhood" among fireman can be, when firemen from countries all over the world offered to fly over and help."
"And many did." Andrew added. "And those that couldn't, did whatever they could to help their "Brothers" in New York."
"Was "Ojiisan" there, too?" Oyuki asked as Andrew glanced over at her.
"No lass," Andrew replied. "He wasn't."
"Jim told me that on that morning of the 11th, he and his engine squad had just finished an "all-nighter", and they had just come back to the station from another call." Andrew said with a sigh. "And as he and the rest of the guys were sitting at the kitchen table having coffee with the oncoming shift and the Fire Chief, the first plane hit one of the Towers."
"Jim said they were all just talking about what had happened during their shift and didn't even know what was going on until he happened to glance over at the "telly" and saw the live video footage of the first Tower on fire."
"And then once they saw what was going on, he and everyone left the coffee table and went over to watch the news on the "telly" in the living area." Andrew said staring at the helmet.
" And like all firemen everywhere in America who were watching what was going on, they started discussing what tactics they figured the New York fireboys would use to handle this particular incident." Andrew said with a frown.
"And like most Americans, they didn't even realize it was an attack until they all watched the second plane hit the other Tower…." Andrew added. "And then they all finally realized what was really happening."
"And then reports came in about the Pentagon being hit, and immediately everyone stopped watching the "telly" and started checking their gear, preparing for a possible attack in their area since there were quite a few military bases around San Antonio." Andrew said as the children listened in hushed silence.
"And after they had checked their equipment, they all kept watching the news to see what else was being reported on about the attacks." Andrew added as an angry expression formed over his face.
"Uncle what's wrong?" Saeko asked as Andrew looked up at her.
"Jim told me that unfortunately, while they were watching everything on live television, some news channels screwed up and actually showed people jumping or falling from the Towers as it all was happening." Andrew said to the horror of everyone around him.
"It was an unintentional screw-up," Andrew added. "But for a few moments, a lot of civilians got a real look at the horror of what was going on up there in New York and freaked out at what they saw."
"But for every fireman, policeman, paramedic and military person who saw that, it just made them that more anxious to go up there and help, including Jim." Andrew said with a sigh.
"But after a little while, with nothing going on locally and all aircraft over American airspace grounded, Jim and a few of the other guys were released to head home and check on their families, but be ready to come back if something did happen."
"Jim told me that on the trip home the streets and highways in San Antonio were as empty as if he had driven into a West Texas ghost town," Andrew continued. "And since all flights had been grounded, there was basically no sound in the city, because everyone was glued to their telly's, watching the news as it all happened."
"And he was almost home when the announcement came on the radio that the first Tower had fallen." Andrew said staring at the helmet in his hands. "And then later while he was checking to make sure his family was going to be alright, the second one fell."
"The Department he worked for at the time called him back and told him and all the other guys that were off duty to stay with their families and reassure them, because people who had family in Emergency Services were freaking out about what was going on and were flooding the phones asking about their husbands, sons, and daughters that were on duty, to see if they were alright even though everything was happening over a thousand miles away." Andrew said shaking his head.
"But of course…." Andrew said with a sigh. "By that time, the attacks were over, and the damage was done."
"Almost 3000 people died that day….." Andrew continued as everyone hung on to his every word. "Both in New York and at the Pentagon, as well as all of the people on the planes that were hijacked."
"And included among the dead were 23 officers from the New York Police Department, 37 Officers from the New York Port Authority, 8 Paramedics and 343 F.D.N.Y. Firefighters." Andrew said gripping the helmet tightly.
"And then there were the 125 Military and Civilian personnel who were killed at the Pentagon." Andrew added. "And then all those innocent civilians who were trapped in those hijacked planes."
"Jim said things were crazy for a while after that…." Andrew continued. "People were extremely jumpy after that and were dialing 911 for just about anything."
"If a person saw an abandoned vehicle sitting somewhere out of place, people would call it in as a bomb threat, and then when air traffic was finally resumed, people freaked out at the sound of a plane flying overhead and called it in as another attack, and then there were so many panicked calls for the Police to respond to calls for a "suspicious person" almost every five minutes." Andrew added with a snort.
"I remember…" Rika said nodding her head. "We were getting a lot of false alarms in this country for awhile too after that."
"Yeah, after the attacks, the United States Government had soldiers guarding all the airports, and there were also long lines of vehicle traffic at all of the local Military bases because every vehicle arriving was being checked one by one by the Military Police." Andrew said nodding his head.
"My goodness…" Shizuka suddenly piped up. "That sounds almost like they were in a war zone."
"Terror attacks were old news for many countries long before then, hon." Andrew explained casting a glance at his wife. "But nothing like that had ever been seen before in the States, so naturally they were being extremely cautious after what happened."
"Did "Jimu-ojisan" go up there and help the people in New York?" Toshi asked curiously as everyone looked up, waiting for a reply.
"No…he didn't." Andrew replied. "Like all firemen everywhere Jim wanted to go up there and help in the rescue effort as well, but the Department he worked for at the time was a small one, and they couldn't spare anyone to go for what ended up being an operation that lasted months."
"But since he and a lot of other guys couldn't go up there and help, he and the other men and women in his Department did what they could.." Andrew said. "And just like many Fire Departments did all around the world, they took some of their old rubber boots and walked the streets gathering donations for the victims of the attack."
"And on the very first day they did that, the guys at Jim's station brought in $10,000.00 at the end of the day in donations." Andrew said as everyone reacted in surprise at the large sum that had been collected.
"Everyone in the world wanted to help in any way they could." Andrew continued as the children looked at him wide-eyed. "And everything they did was appreciated more than they'll ever know."
"Jim said there was something else that happened after that too…." Andrew added with a frown. "People started acting differently as well."
"Really…?" Saya's eldest daughter Midori asked, curious. "In what way?"
"In all the time he had been a Paramedic, and then a Fireman, Jim had never been as surprised as he was about a week after the attack, when he and his engine crew were just walking out of a house were they had just extinguished a small fire in a residence and people gathered outside in the street suddenly started clapping their hands and cheering and calling them heroes as they walked out the door." Andrew said tight-lipped.
"Wow, that is so cool!" Reiko said excitedly imagining the scene.
"Yeah…." Andrew replied with a sigh. "It was."
"Ojisan, what's wrong?" Midori asked puzzled at Andrew's reaction.
"It's hard to explain, love…." Andrew looking at the helmet now back Reiko's hands. "But the truth is, when Jim told me that people were calling him and everyone with him heroes and clapping, he said he couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty about it."
"Why was that, Uncle?" Saeko asked in surprise.
"Jim and the other guys on his squad knew why the people were applauding them, because everywhere in America people were doing the same thing, showing how much they appreciated all the Firefighters, Police Officers, Paramedics, and Military for what they do."
"But Jim always believed that the ones who deserved to be called heroes were the civilians who had risked their lives to help other people get out of danger during the attack, as well as the people on those planes that fought against their hijackers and tried to take back control of their plane."
"He also believed that the real heroes were the Police, Paramedics, and Firefighters that went into those Towers to help the victims still inside, even though many of them never came out." Andrew said shaking his head.
"But I believe the real reason Jim felt guilty about being called a hero that day was because 343 of his brother Firefighters had died trying to save people's lives a week earlier." Andrew said looking down the hill towards the sea.
"And all he had done was put out a small fire that had gotten out of control in a chimney." Andrew added.
"He felt there was nothing heroic about that." Andrew said as he adjusted the band on the helmet and placed it back on Reiko's head, only for her head to disappear under the helmet once again.
"Think you have some growin' to do yet before this fits ya lass." Andrew said with a smirk as he lifted the helmet off her head and held it in his hands.
"Be that as it may, I see no reason Papa should have felt guilty, Uncle." Saeko said frowning slightly.
"It's hard to explain unless your "one of us", Saeko." Andrew said with a sigh as he looked out towards the sea. "And I wouldn't know how to begin to explain it to you."
"But that's just how it is in the Military and Emergency Services, love…." Andrew continued. "None of us look at ourselves as heroes, and it's not about earning glory, praise, medals, or awards."
"It's just who we are…." Andrew said as he turned his head and looked at everyone with a thin smile.
"But I believe that in this case, the reason that Jim believed that he didn't deserve being called a hero, was because he was just doing his job and hadn't done anything special." Andrew said with a heavy sigh
"His "Brothers" on the other hand, had given everything they had….." Andrew said as he stared at the helmet in his hand.
Author's Notes:
This chapter is a special dedication to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellowman on September 11th, 2001.
It is a special segment I wrote for this day and as such, I humbly request that there not be any reviews on it as if this was a "normal" chapter.
Because for me as a firefighter, it's not a "normal" chapter.
Whatever your opinion of this story, please respect it as a tribute to those who have fallen, so that others may live.
Thank you.
From Jim:
"Brothers" was never meant to be a controversial story or one that would involve world politics or the current conflicts going on in the world; rather, it is a simple story to honor those who put others' lives before their own, and the bonds that unite them with their fellowman in times of tragedy.
Andrew's relating to the children what I personally went through to become a firefighter, and also what happened before my graduation, as well as where I was on September 11th, and the events that unfolded as I saw them on that day and the events afterward were all true, none of that was fiction.
I included that segment because all of us in Emergency Services and the Military have gone through our own personal challenges to become what we are, no matter how difficult the challenge was.
But it's the love in our hearts for what we do, that keeps us going years after graduation.
And it has been my honor and privilege to serve as both a Firefighter and a Paramedic for almost 28 years now.
This chapter was written to honor my brother firefighters, as well as all who ran into harm's way to help their fellowman that horrible day of September 11th, 2001.
It was the bravery of those courageous men and women in Emergency Services on that terrible day that inspired thousands of young people many weeks afterwards, to try to join the ranks of the Police, Fire, and EMS departments as well as the Military all across the United States, something I and many of my colleagues had never seen on such a large scale before.
And it was the bravery of our F.D.N.Y. Brothers that motivated me personally, to always strive to be a better fireman because of their heroic example.
Dedicated to the Police, Fire, EMS, Military personnel, and all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and to their equally brave families.
9-11-01
343
"Brothers"