By Jesse Serwer
Firefighters from Rockville Centre, Baldwin, Bellmore and Floral Park were among those presented with commemorative pins by Home Ground, an outreach program created by South Nassau Communities Hospital providing counseling and other services for 9/11 responders and their families. Officers were not recognized by name, but their contributions were acknowledged collectively by a number of speakers, including Congressman Peter King (R-Seaford) and the chaplains from the Nassau County fire and police departments.
"This was our opportunity to get together all the firefighters and police on Long Island and all the city workers who live here and say thank you to them," said Father Kevin Smith of Elmont, chaplain of the Nassau County Fire Department. "A lot of people have a box in their [heart] that they closed up, and they didn't want to talk about it. It is time to take a look at that box and recognize what we did and why we did it."
"There were many of us who were there that didn't return the same and this was a support group to have," said third Deputy Chief Eddie Mullen of the Baldwin Fire Department. "But, there is a lot of help out there for those that need it and this is a really good outlet."
King, an honorary chief of the Seaford Fire Department, urged officers not to forget their contributions on 9/11 as they move on in life. "It is human to black out the bad memories and look to the future but at the same time we can never forget the tragedy and the heroes of that day," King said. "It is a dual path that we have to walk."
Wendy Brown of Rockville Centre was one of three siblings - all of whom are volunteers with the Rockville Centre Fire Department - who were at Ground Zero. "I am a court officer in Brooklyn and I was working that day, and my brothers had been upstate vacationing but we all happened to meet. They didn't know I was there, and I didn't think they would be, but I saw a rescue truck and out they came."
Bonnie Giebfried, an EMS worker from Oceanside, said that many officers are still fighting to recover physically from the terrorist attacks without the help and benefits the public might think. "A lot of people have been lost in the rubble, so to speak," said Giebfried, who, despite several attempts, has not been able to return permanently to work since sustaining injuries after being buried alive on 9/11.
"Many people who were there have been lost because we weren't considered uniformed workers. I am still battling with my job; my union canceled my benefits - I just recently had surgery on my thumb, my wrist and my elbow after being told for three years that it was all in my head. If it wasn't for a lot of people I met through Home Ground I wouldn't be where I am [in my recovery]."
Comments on this story? JSerwer@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221
