Here in NYC, firefighters and their equipment are worshiped in a much different way than they were before 9/11/2001. Nobody can imagine hundreds of rescuers, rushing 50-100 pounds of oxygen and equipment apiece into a lobby directly beneath two jetliner crashes and then up 90 flights of stairs, without putting such people in a somewhat different category from any other mortal human beings.
Kids didn’t even want to touch their fire engines, but just turn out by the hundreds to stare, until several years went by and a new generation of kids grew into the role.
The fact that a single fire truck, just sitting around anywhere, is kinda awesome in itself is a “reality check” for me. After all, it was always so - I’d just forgotten.
Here in NYC, firefighters and their equipment are worshiped in a much different way than they were before 9/11/2001. Nobody can imagine hundreds of rescuers, rushing 50-100 pounds of oxygen and equipment apiece into a lobby directly beneath two jetliner crashes and then up 90 flights of stairs, without putting such people in a somewhat different category from any other mortal human beings.
Kids didn’t even want to touch their fire engines, but just turn out by the hundreds to stare, until several years went by and a new generation of kids grew into the role.
The fact that a single fire truck, just sitting around anywhere, is kinda awesome in itself is a “reality check” for me. After all, it was always so - I’d just forgotten.