thedrifter
05-27-08, 08:17 AM
Firefighters cheer Garden City Marines heading to Iraq
BY JENNIFER BARRIOS
jennifer.barrios@newsday.com
May 27, 2008
The Marines did not go quietly into the Garden City night. Hundreds of Long Island firefighters made sure of that.
The firefighters, complete with scores of fire trucks with flashing lights, assembled outside the Marine Reserve base in Garden City at about 2 a.m. yesterday - all to cheer and salute those from the Second Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment who were leaving for a tour of duty in Iraq.
"We're trying to give support to these men and women going over in harm's way," said Danny O'Keefe, chief of the Stewart Manor Fire Department and one of the event's main organizers. "Some of these guys might not be ready, might not be sure, and we're saying we're supporting you."
Outside the base, fire trucks raised their ladders, creating an archway of American flags across Stewart Avenue. Firefighters - most in work clothes, some in dress uniforms - stood before their trucks that lined the streets. The event drew members from 50 departments, O'Keefe said.
Lance Corporal Mark Dumelle, 27, of Stony Brook, stood waiting to board one of the big yellow buses taking the Marines to the airport. It was Dumelle's first deployment to Iraq. He called the firefighters' send-off "amazing."
"To come out at 2 o'clock in the morning, to take the extra effort is just astounding," he said.
Outside the gates, family members gathered, holding signs, flags and cups of coffee. Mike Dolan, wearing a bright yellow Marines sweatshirt, was one. His son, Mike Dolan Jr., was among the Marines leaving. Dolan is a former chief of the New Hyde Park Fire Department; his son, 25, belongs to the same department.
"It's encouragement - show Nassau County what we're doing for our soldiers," Dolan said. "They don't want to leave at 3 o'clock in the morning and no one sees them."
Lt. Col. Joe Nelson of the battalion said the early-morning departure - and the fact that the Marines were deploying on Memorial Day - were the result of schedules they received from Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
The first few buses left shortly before 4 a.m. The Marines planned to board planes headed for training in California before ultimately ending up in Iraq.
The buses drove slowly, illuminated by the bright lights of a hundred fire trucks. Inside, Marines peered out the windows, smiling at the applause.
Ellie
BY JENNIFER BARRIOS
jennifer.barrios@newsday.com
May 27, 2008
The Marines did not go quietly into the Garden City night. Hundreds of Long Island firefighters made sure of that.
The firefighters, complete with scores of fire trucks with flashing lights, assembled outside the Marine Reserve base in Garden City at about 2 a.m. yesterday - all to cheer and salute those from the Second Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment who were leaving for a tour of duty in Iraq.
"We're trying to give support to these men and women going over in harm's way," said Danny O'Keefe, chief of the Stewart Manor Fire Department and one of the event's main organizers. "Some of these guys might not be ready, might not be sure, and we're saying we're supporting you."
Outside the base, fire trucks raised their ladders, creating an archway of American flags across Stewart Avenue. Firefighters - most in work clothes, some in dress uniforms - stood before their trucks that lined the streets. The event drew members from 50 departments, O'Keefe said.
Lance Corporal Mark Dumelle, 27, of Stony Brook, stood waiting to board one of the big yellow buses taking the Marines to the airport. It was Dumelle's first deployment to Iraq. He called the firefighters' send-off "amazing."
"To come out at 2 o'clock in the morning, to take the extra effort is just astounding," he said.
Outside the gates, family members gathered, holding signs, flags and cups of coffee. Mike Dolan, wearing a bright yellow Marines sweatshirt, was one. His son, Mike Dolan Jr., was among the Marines leaving. Dolan is a former chief of the New Hyde Park Fire Department; his son, 25, belongs to the same department.
"It's encouragement - show Nassau County what we're doing for our soldiers," Dolan said. "They don't want to leave at 3 o'clock in the morning and no one sees them."
Lt. Col. Joe Nelson of the battalion said the early-morning departure - and the fact that the Marines were deploying on Memorial Day - were the result of schedules they received from Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
The first few buses left shortly before 4 a.m. The Marines planned to board planes headed for training in California before ultimately ending up in Iraq.
The buses drove slowly, illuminated by the bright lights of a hundred fire trucks. Inside, Marines peered out the windows, smiling at the applause.
Ellie