Sep 11, 2009 7:10 pm US/Eastern
Brooklyn Firehouse Honors Comrades Lost On 9/11
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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The firefighters of Engine 205 and Ladder 118 lost eight men eight years ago, on 9/11. For each moment of silence, they removed their hats and said a little prayer.
CBS
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The firefighters of Engine 205 and Ladder 118 lost eight men eight years ago, on 9/11. For each moment of silence, they removed their hats and said a little prayer.
CBS
Across the Brooklyn Bridge, one firehouse is remembering eight of their fellow firefighters who perished on 9/11.
The firefighters of Engine 205 and Ladder 118 lost eight men eight years ago Friday. For each moment of silence, they removed their hats and said a little prayer.
Saying prayers along with the firefighters were relatives of those who died. Rita Agnello lost her son Joey.
"Very sad, very sad. It's unbelievable. I lost my son that day," Agnello said.
Amid all the sadness and ceremony Friday, the firehouse was still active, responding to a call on Jay Street. For some firefighters, being at work is therapeutic.
"Today is just a day that I think everybody needs to be around friends and family to make it a little easier," Lieutenant Jim McAlevey said. "The days leading up to today are sad because you know it's coming and you remember all that we've lost."
Some came to the firehouse because they live nearby and realize the sacrifices made.
"We've gotten to know some of their families. We have a deepened appreciation for what they did all along, and what they did on that special day," neighbor Claire Mirarchi said.
20-year-old Alexander Mirarchi met firefighter Joey Agnello when he was in kindergarten down the street.
"There's a double connection, with actually being there the first time, and going and that first experience of awe and, 'oh, these are firemen'," neighbor Alexander Mararchi said. "And then looking back and saying not only did I do it, but these are people that were real, there was a physical, tangible connection that was established. That, you can't really forget."
For the widow of firefighter Peter Vega, the family of Ladder 118 and Engine 205 means the world to her.
"It makes me feel incredibly comforted that people still care so much and remember so much about him. I think it's so important to my daughter, who just never really got to know him – she was only a year when he passed away," Regan Vega said. "I think it just makes me feel safe. It's probably the safest place I feel, is here with everybody who knew him."
After the ceremony, the firefighters and families all attended mass around the corner at Assumption Church to pray for all those lost.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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