The events that rocked our country eight years ago and killed many of our fellow Americans is still pretty fresh and raw to me. For some they have forgotten or chose to alter their memories of that day. Calls to make the anniversary a day of service is not exactly the way I want to remember it.
A lot of innocent people died that day because radical Islamic people want to eliminate United States as we know it. People going about their daily lives many died instantly on that morning, some were trapped and died slowly, and others ran into that hell to rescue and save those who were trapped.
One such hero from that day is Captain Daniel Brethel of the New York City Fire Department.
Daniel Brethel, captain of Ladder 24 on West 31st Street in Manhattan, had had some close calls: His neck and ears had been burned when he was holding his helmet over an injured firefighter who was lying on the street; once he had required a skin graft. Arriving at the World Trade Center after both jets had hit, he shouted a warning to his men: “Guys, be very careful, because firemen are going to die today.”
He had been off duty at 9 a.m. His wife, Carol, hearing about the attack at their home in Farmingdale, hoped he was already on the train and knew nothing about it. On Tuesday night, they came to the house and told her they had found his body. Captain Brethel, 43, had grabbed one of his men as a building started to collapse. They dived under a firetruck. Both were crushed.
Today like many others I reflect on the sacrifice this man made for his fellow man along with the many others on that day and it reminds me that at our darkest hour there is always hope. My prayers as always go out to Capt Daniel Brethel’s family and loved ones. We as a country owe your family a debt we can never repay so the least we can do is to remember the sacrifice that was made. God Bless all of You.
