PDA

View Full Version : 9/11 firefighter honored



thedrifter
02-15-03, 08:29 AM
Former Marine lauded for courage

By HUGH SON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The U.S. military honored a fallen Brooklyn firefighter yesterday with an American flag that had flown over the battlefields of Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The tribute to Lt. John Chipura of Engine 219 in Prospect Heights - who died on Sept. 11 along with six other Bravest from that firehouse - recalled a life of service.

"The sacrifices that John and the other firefighters made on Sept. 11 will never be forgotten," said Maj. J.J. Dill, commanding officer of the Marine recruiting station in Garden City, L.I.

Chipura, 39, a former Marine who survived the 1983 terrorist attack on U.S. military barracks in Beirut, was last seen evacuating people from Tower 2 of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Officer for 12 years

Chipura was a city cop for 12 years and made detective before joining the FDNY in 1998.

Marine Corps commanders, FDNY brass and former servicemen - actor Harvey Keitel among them - gathered at the Dean St. firehouse for the ceremony.

Lt. John Atwell remembered how Chipura brought his Marine values to the firehouse.

"It's fitting that we're here today with the Marine Corps, because that's what John was in his heart and soul," Atwell said. "They talk in the Marine Corps about honor and courage and commitment, and that's what John brought here."

As Dill presented the flag and a plaque to the fallen firefighter's brother and three sisters, he said softly, "[John] was what inspires us to do what we do on a daily basis."

Relatives of Chipura were brought to tears by the gesture.

"This is the proudest moment we can have, to have him honored as a Marine and a firefighter," said Sue Cohen, 41, Chipura's twin sister.

His brother, Lt. Gerard Chipura of Engine 247 in Borough Park, noted that the Oct. 23, 1983, terrorist attack on U.S. military barracks in Beirut - which John survived - killed 241 Marines.

The flag given to the Chipuras had been carried by Lt. Col. Ray Tolomeo in his FA-18 Hornet to honor the FDNY during a combat mission over Afghanistan on Sept. 20, 2002.

"The firefighters of New York City are keeping the citizens here safe," said Ralph Tolomeo, 64, father of the fighter pilot. "Their jobs run parallel, the military and firefighters."

The Brooklyn-born Keitel sat with members of the Chipura family during the ceremony, and said only that he was there to honor the firefighter's memory.

"I'm just here as a former Marine to honor another Marine," Keitel said.

Originally published on February 13, 2003


Sempers,

Roger