68jk09 said:
RET LT ARTIE CONNELLY R*2....On 7-17-19... Artie was a FF in SQ*4 & R*2 then a LT in R*2... (he was my LT on my 1st tour there mid 1977)....he did not say much but when he did you listened....Artie was truly an "Old School" FDNY Warrior who went through the earlier R*2 years pre Hurst Tool...pre Airbags & other newer tools..he mastered both old & new tools & integrated both in his many Drills including a Plan B if something failed ....he was not a chest beater & did not exude bravado...but whether at a Fire or Emergency he was going to get it done & sometime younger FFs had to work to keep up with him ....he was just always on top of the job at hand & afterward it was just about getting ready for the next one.... he had 3 Sons & 1 Son in law OTJ.... after he Retired he became a Fire Safety Director at the WTC & had gotten relieved that morning & was heading back to SI when the 1st Plane hit... he headed back to the WTC & during the following months provided some valuable info on the layout of different things on the site during the recovery operations......REST IN PEACE BROTHER...THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE BOTH MILITARY (US NAVY) & FDNY.....PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES......Wake Friday 7-19-19 1400 to 1600 & 1900 to 2100 at Hanleys Funeral Home 60 New Dorp Lane SI NY 10306....
Funeral Mass Sat 7-20-19 at 1000 hrs....St Anns Church 101 Cromwell Ave SI NY.
Chief, my condolences to you on the loss of your friend, brother firefighter and perhaps a role model. As well as to all the other members of the FDNY who have lost their good friends, brother firefighters, and role models too. They really were an EXCEPTIONAL BREED OF FIREFIGHTERS. They treated me well. Sometimes when I read these names, although we never met, I feel as though I know them.
As busy and as "beat up" as they were, they would talk to me and some would answer my questions and my concerns. I feel that when it came to doing the job of a firefighter, these guys taught me more than any fire class I ever attended. They NEVER patted themselves on the back or took credit for their knowledge and experience either.
Some would invite me to visit them at the firehouse after the job where they would treat me as their special guest.
Now that they are gone, they certainly served their purpose here on earth. From helping thousands of people throughout their career to even answering a young guys questions who just wanted to learn a little more about how the job should be done.
Last week I lost a good friend who was a Brother Firefighter. He was also my neighbor and we would buff the FDNY during those years together. He had two great sons who have grown up and become fathers themselves. I would consider them role models for their generation.
His wife was a teacher. Her name was Cecil and his name was Mike Kirby. He was into the job too and because of his buffing days of the FDNY (he also spent time in Boston), he learned a lot as well and passed that onto the younger members of the department.
During the summers, Mike and his wife would invite some NYC inner city kids to their home for a little vacation. They would take them to Six Flags Amusement Park in Mass, the Zoo, and let them play in the yard with swings and go in their pool to cool off. They were GREAT PEOPLE.
Mike's wife passed away in January and Mike only a few months later.
I sent this video to his many friends and Brother Firefighters. Mike Kirby, like the many FDNY War Years Firefighters, never bragged about the kind of work he did. He never bragged about what he had done for so many others.
I just think this video expresses the kind of man, and firefighter, Mike was. As well as those FDNY War Years Firefighters who have also passed on.
May they all REST IN PEACE and THANK YOU for helping so many people during your life time. WE WON'T FORGET YOU.
The video is called: "What Will Matter".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Ocs3ygeoo
