The
Icon closed his chapter in the book of life after 99 years. Could forever last
just 99 years? Imagine, 99 years of living, his chapter is chock full of
amazing tales and journeys the like most of us have never heard of, never mind
seen. He would leave an impression on everyone he touched even in the days up
to his passing.
I
can see him, the virile age of 26 at the back end of Ladder Two pulling the
roof ladder off the truck. Hip boots, jean jacket down just to the top of his
thighs, open, flapping in the crisp wind that whips through the tunnel of
buildings that line Main Street. Helmet tilted to the side, sweat running down
his cheek sliding over his half smiling face. What's on his mind? Much like
many firefighters since, follow orders and go to work. It was roughly 2 am on
March 10, 1941. His crew had been ordered to make way to the roof of 15 School
St. via the adjacent Kennedy building to ventilate. As he and the crew of
Ladder Two reached the top of the Kennedy Building they made their way to the
lower roof of what was the Strand Theatre. Mere seconds before contacting the
roof of the Theatre with the butt end of the ladder the roof would collapse. Right
away the Icon, even at his young age and minimal experience, knew men were
trapped under the carnage. His officer without a thought gave the men the order
to make their way down to assist in the rescue efforts. I wonder how much
thought he put into how close he was at ending his forever the moment the roof
fell. Twelve men died that night with twenty others injured. A few days later the
thirteenth firefighter would succumb to his injuries.
The
Icon would be the sixth of just nine Fire Chiefs in the City of Brockton to
date. Serving forty years, sixteen of which he spent as Chief. He was a
"Chief's Chief, driving a Cadillac and smoking cigars." Clearly he
was a Firefighters Chief as well. Many times he fought for the men and many
times he won. Hard but fair, would never ask of you what he himself would not
do. A good Jake! Throughout his career he had seen many losses. To many losses
to count over 99 years. Witnessing death, or even experiencing death in your
family (yes firefighters are a family) is quite hard to take. Can you imagine
for a moment having to notify a wife or a mother of a loss? In 1964 he did just
that. He had to make that notification to three separate families. To report to
them they had lost their sons, fathers, brothers. To let them know these three
men have ended their forever. As a new Chief he entered these homes and stood
for the families in a way that could never be repaid. That was just his way.
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| The first look! |
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| Retired Chief Edward "Sonny" Burrell's reflection as he gets his first look at the Strand Theatre Monument |
After the service the Honor Guard and Band made
our way by bus to the cemetery where his wife was buried. His arrival would not
take long. The tree filled snow covered cemetery was prepared with green
outdoor carpet leading up to the grave site. I would place the Relief memorial
flag and remembrance stanchion next to the family head stone off to the side of
the open grave prior to getting with the rest of the band. The funeral director
would have the hearse pull up and wait just a moment while they place a few
flower baskets near the head stone. As the pallbearers removed the casket from
the hearse we began to play. We continued to play while all the attendees made
their way to the grave side. The cold had a clear effect on the pipes but the
music carried well. The Honor Guard looked sharp and the membership paid no
attention to the frigid air. It was a wonderful tribute to a great man. Once again, as I have done many times before,
I had the honor of doing the walk away and with that and era was gone.
As
I walked away I thought about the word forever. What is forever? Forever begins
the day we are born but does it end the day we die? Could forever for my son be
the thirty odd weeks after the five years of studies to finally earn his black
belt? How about the 60 years my friends father had or the 26 years my other
friend had with his son? Is forever the three short years the young man has
spent in the 54th MA, or the 40 year career of a 99 year old legend in the fire
service. I mean really was his forever those 40 years or the 35 years he spent
in retirement. I guess forever is up to us to determine. We all know the men of
yesterday didn't want accolades, parades or even monuments. What do those
things mean? Is it bragging or is it telling of history? They just wanted to do
the job to the best of their ability and live a decent life. I get that but I
feel we should continue to carry these people and their lives on. Everyone deserves the right
to be remembered, have their story told. Through our words and stories, keep their
history, build their monuments, be proud. Let's continue to give them a real forever.
Peter
