I am the daughter of Deputy Chief Mario E. Cherchi. Thank you all for your condolences. I noticed that someone is stating that my father became a Deputy Chief in 1939 and that my father is his uncle. We do not know who that person is but my father became a fireman in 1939 and loved the FD all his 98 years. He most proud that he never lost a man under his command. There are so many interesting stories that he has shared with us throughout his long life.
A little history.
He fought the fire on the Normandy ship - February 1942. He said the firemen were blamed for not opening the scuppers but it was not true. It was the duty of the navy.. The ship's designer suggested opening open sea-cocks, but the suggestion was denied by Admiral Andrews, the Port Director. The ship sank in the Hudson River because of the volume of water used. The ship began to list because the water was not draining fast enough. My father said, "Believe it or not, I was the last person off that ship before it sank. I jumped off the cargo net." John T. O' Hagan was in Chief of Department of the
FDNY at the time.
In addition, there was a fire in the Woolworth Building, which was supposedly fireproof. The hose that was suppose to be on the floor below the fire, was missing. The firemen could not put out the fire.
The Empire State Building was also a memory. In 1945, a army B-25 bomber, enroute to Newark Airport in thick fog, hit the building and the firemen had to walk up 86 floors to fight the fire.
My father also mentioned that he was the official that inspected the World Trade Tower Buildings. The buildings had to be inspected every year. When he inspected the towers, the windows were not yet installed. The firemen were bending out the openings taking in the magnificent view.
He had such fond memories of his career in the fire department. He said that the camaraderie with the firemen was tremendous and it was a wonderful job.
Deputy Chief Cherchi retired in 1976 and traveled all over the world with his wife, Evelyn.
My dear father had a heros farewell with the FDNY present at the wake and funeral. We were so proud that the color guards were there, the firemen in their gear and the fire trucks. It was a great tribute to my father. I am certain that my father returned their final salutes as he embarked on his final journey.
