Funeral For A Firefighter

The Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan was badly damaged in the September 11, 2001 collapse of the World Trade Center towers.



The building is in the process of being dismantled after it was determined to be too contaminated to be repaired. The dismantling began in February 2007 and by the time this picture was taken on August 12, only 26 floors of the original 41 were still standing.

On August 18, fire broke out on the 17th floor. During the effort to put out the 7 alarm blaze, two firefighters, Firefighter Robert Beddia, 53, of Staten Island, and Firefighter Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Brooklyn were killed. Both were from the Engine 24 and Ladder 5 in SoHo.

On August 24, the funeral for Robert Beddia was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Just before 10:00 AM, hundreds of firefighters from New York City and elsewhere began lining Fifth Avenue, waiting for the funeral procession to start.



The procession was led by a car laden with flowers, followed by bagpipers.









The firehouse's truck, Engine 24, drove towards the Cathedral.



Behind it was another fire truck, carrying Firefighter Beddia's flag-covered casket.



A ripple of white gloves flowed across the crowd as the rows of firefighters saluted when the casket passed before them, and then returned to standing at attention.









Mr Beddia's family and dignitaries followed behind in long black cars.



On command, broadcast up and down Fifth Avenue, the gathered firefighters saluted as the casket was carried into the cathedral.



They remained at attention while verse after verse of Amazing Grace filled the silence.



The funeral continued for the next two hours, hymns and prayers and eulogies floating through the hot summer streets.



The firefighters mingled for a while and slowly vanished until only a few were left to hear Mr. Beddia's sister Susan plea: do you remember when, Bobby? Do you remember?



And then it was over. The sound of Taps echoed down Fifth Avenue as the casket was carried from the cathedral to be taken for burial on Staten Island. The police cleared the streets, shoppers returned and by afternoon no one could tell that such an intimate moment of sorrow and honor had transpired in such a public place.