nfd2004 said:
On a tragic day in April, 2013, two bombs went off in the streets of Boston as the Marathon was taking place. For one woman named Rose Ann Sdoia she would pay a very steep price for being an innocent bystander. She would loose her leg and have to go through months of therapy learning to walk again.
On that day, as the first bomb went off, some Boston Firefighters were in the area. Of course they immediately headed in the direction of those injured. Then a Second Bomb went off much closer. One firefighter named Mike Materia ran to the aid of this woman who was still conscious but bleeding from her injury. Her leg had been severed. A belt was used as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. That firefighter attempted to wave down passing ambulances responding to the first bombing with no success. He stayed with her not knowing if a third or fourth bomb would go off. He was finally able to get a police van where she was put into and transported to the hospital. Firefighter Materia rode in that van with her as she struggled to remain conscious from her life threatening injury. Firefighter Materia was able to keep her alive as he talked to her and held her hand.
Today, Rose Ann Sdoia, the woman who lost her leg, is demonstrating to the world how she is moving forward with an upbeat positive attitude despite what she has had to endure. She now travels telling her story. She is a role model for each and every one of us.
And Firefighter Mike Materia, the firefighter that rode with her in that police van holding her hand and keeping her alive, is the son of our site member "mack". A frequent contributor to this site.
"macks" son Mike, also served three tours in Iraq with the Special Forces before going on the Boston Fire Dept. He now travels often with the woman who is so grateful to him for saving her life. They have become a couple together.
Today there is some talk of making a movie. But the story of Rose Ann Sodia and Boston Firefighter Mike Materia is not a movie but a TRUE story of a role model and a hero.
For those of us that know "mack", we know what a really a great guy he is. He has given me a personnel tour of some firehouses, a military base, and places of interest in the Va/DC area. He himself a West Point graduate with two masters degrees. A retired high ranking Army Officer. He has a very high respect for firefighters, and I'm pretty sure, all of us that know him, have a pretty high amount of respect for him also.
Thanks for all your contributions to this site and THANK YOU for all you've done for me and all the others. For me, I consider it an honor to be your friend. And I hope some day I will be able to meet your son Mike and Rose Ann.
In the above quote is a very brief story of "mack" and his son, a Boston Firefighter.
"mack" is the originator of the most popular thread on this web site. It is in the "History Section" called; "FDNY and NYC Firehouses". As of today, 9/27/2015, it has reached over 302,000 views. Pretty tough for any of us to beat that one.
BUT .... "Where is Mack today" ? Many of us know "mack" personally from this site. He has done so much for so many of us here. Not only that, but about two years ago when there were two LODDs of Boston Firefighters, "mack" took $10,000 of his own money to have Memorial T-shirts made up and he started a fund raiser for the families of those two firefighters. Last I heard, over $50,000 has been donated to those families of those two Boston Firefighters (Lt Eddie Walsh and FF Mike Kennedy - RIP). Macks son worked the same firehouse with those two firefighters and worked that fire with them as well.
Of course for those of us that know "mack", we know that there is much more to add to the kind of character that our friend "mack" really is.
But where is "mack" now ? Well first let me bring the good news to you. That "mack" is doing fine. In fact, just recently he spent a tour riding with site member B/C Steve E., aka "fltpara16", in Virginia. He is still working his fulltime job at the Pentagon and he is still "into the fire dept". Including being a volunteer firefighter in a very busy firehouse in Fairfax County, Va.
Mack spent a lot of time working on that "FDNY and NYC Firehouse" thread for all of us. In addition to that, his dedication to the fire service as a volunteer firefighter and training involved, the T-shirt sales, helping U.S. Military Veterans, including a few personnel friends of mine, helping many of us with our own interest, and never saying "NO" takes a lot of time. Plus working that fulltime job. It can't all be done in only 24 hours a day.
I guess when all priorities where looked over, the best place for mack to gain a few hours was by cutting back on this site a little. So that's what he had to do.
But I just wanted to pass on that site member "mack" is doing just fine these days. He's still into it, just like when he was a young guy and his father was a member of the FDNY.
