DEDICATION

It was in the fall of 1975 that a paralyzing phone call found me in New York City. My younger brother had passed away and Louise and I agreed to meet in our earlier home in Buffalo N.Y. We arrived at the funeral home the next evening but it was not a normal funeral where it is usually the elderly that have passed on, and while there is respect, it still has the undertones of laughter and smiles when meeting old friends. However this was a sober occasion with two uniformed Firemen flanking the casket of my brother,Burt. He was a fireman who had fallen in the line of duty while attempting to put out the fire raging through out an empty house.This guard detail stood at attention throughout the open hours of the mortuary and were continually replaced by others. It was obvious the Firemen were there to honor the death of a comrade and this was a time when respect, admiration and sorrow was on full display. I am remiss in the writing of this eulogy and my recall may be blurred because of the passage of the years and yet, there is much that has been burned into my memory even though some of the dates may be incorrect. The days there overlapped but my next memory is that of a very large church standing on the outskirts of the city that, much earilier than the anounced time of the ceremony, was filled with family, friends, neighbors and Firemen; with an overflow of standing room only. This standing room included many hundreds on the outside and this area also included a multitude of police. There had to be a contingent from every Fire Depaertment in the state and it was a sea of blue, With all those present, the spirit of God must also have been in attendance to mourn the passing of one of His children  At the conclusion of the service the casket was raised to the top of the nearby fire truck to head the cortege that was to roll through the city of Buffalo passing every fire station, where those on duty, would be in full dress, standing  at attention, as the truck passed by. It was a tremendous display of the honor reserved for those comrades that fell doing their duty. I am reminded of the firemen and police that were consumed by the flames of  9/11, along with the belief that there are men, when called upon ,who are willing to die in the performance of their duty. I am also reminded that there is irony accompanying this funeral. Burt was part of small group that were petitioning the city to permit them to have controlled burning of these empty shells so as to prevent the possible death of, not only the homeless sheltered there, but possibly more importantly,as in the case of my brother.The cemetery was teeming with so many that had been in the church grounds and I was again touched emotionally at the reverence displayed by these men. Forgive me if I am somewhat ambigous in my recollections but the spirit of my memory is there and this is a eulogy I gave in my heart those many years ago.  I give it now in dedication to Jimmie, Cheryl, Donna and Billie