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Judo Champ one of the Heroes of UA Flight 93 -Blair Bradbury |
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Glick tells wife of plan to storm cockpit Meet the Press Interview with V.P. Dick Cheney He lost his life, but won the final bout “We
said I love you a thousand times over and over again, and it just brought so
much peace to us.”
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Other HeroesIt would be impossible to overlook the sacrifice, that the brave men of the New York Police and Fire Departments made on that Dark Day in September 2001. One such man was Paul Pansini, a fellow Judoka, and member of the New York Dojo. Paul, a firefighter, is among the missing. He was one of the first firefighters to respond to the tragic attack on the World Trade Center. Paul was a Shodan and won a Bronze medal at the World Police and Fire Games in Pittsburgh, Pa in 1991. Our prayer's and sympathies go out to the Pansini family, the New York Dojo, it's leader Sensei John Bassano, and the entire New York Judo Community. A Fire Fighter's Prayerby Blair Watts, of the Kirkwood Judo Club in St. Louis, MO I ASK FOR ADDITIONAL PRAYERS, OVER THE PRAYERS WE GIVE FOR ALL THAT HAVE BEEN HURT AND LOST IN THESE CATASTROPHES AND THEIR FAMILIES. BUT, ESPECIALLY FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS IN NEW YORK/WASHINGTON AND THEIR FAMILIES!!!!!I OFFER A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE JOB. HIGH RISE FIREFIGHTING/RESCUE IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS INCIDENTS WE RESPOND TO. YOU ALREADY KNOW IT WILL BE BAD ANY TIME A HIGH RISE STRUCTURE BURNS BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDING RESCUE AND EVACUATION, DIFFICULTIES GETTING TO THE FIRE, WATER SUPPLY, RE-SUPPLY OF BREATHING AIR, MANPOWER, OTHER EQUIPMENT ETC. OFTEN ELEVATORS DON'T WORK OR ARE OVERBURDENED. A HIGH-RISE FIRE IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS FIRES WE FIGHT NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE YOU WILL NEED TO GET OUT BUT ALSO IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO FIND THE FIRES AND SUPPRESS THEM BEFORE STRUCTURAL FAILURE. THE STRUCTURES ACT LIKE CHIMNEYS. SMOKE CONDITIONS ARE THE WORST WITH VERY LITTLE CHANCE OF IMMEDIATE VENTILATION. VISIBILITY IS ZERO AND YOUR TANK ONLY LASTS ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES WHEN WORKING . OFTEN YOU GO WITHOUT USING YOUR TANK TO CONSERVE YOUR AIR UNTIL YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED IT.ONE OF THE DEFINITIONS OF A HIGH-RISE IS ANY STRUCTURE TALLER THAN YOUR TALLEST LADDER TRUCK OR ABOUT 5 STORIES, WHICH IS ABOUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN GET OUT OF A 100 FT. LADDER TRUCK WHICH IS MOST COMMON IN THE U.S.A. YOU KNOW YOUR GOING TO TAKE A BEATING. THE INCREDIBLE THING IS WE GO IN ANYWAY. WE ALWAYS GO IN WHEN THEIR ARE LIVES TO SAVE. NOT JUST FOR OUR RELATIVES OR PEOPLE WE KNOW, BUT FOR STRANGERS OF ALL NATIONALITIES, OF ALL COLORS ,OF ALL RELIGIONS WE DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE. IF THERE ARE LIVES TO BE SAVED WE GO IN. OFTEN TIMES EVEN WHEN STRUCTURES ARE FALLING DOWN AROUND US, WE GO IN. WHILE OTHERS RUN AWAY FROM CATASTROPHE WE RUN INTO IT. THE FIREFIGHTERS IN NEW YORK ARE SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD. THEY WENT IN AND MANY LOST THEIR LIVES AND YET THE INCREDIBLE THING IS THAT IF YOU ASK ANY FIREFIGHTER KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW OCCURRED, THEY WOULD STILL GO IN ,THAT'S THE JOB. THESE FIREFIGHTERS KNEW THAT IT WAS LIKELY THAT MANY OF THEM MIGHT GET HURT OR NOT SURVIVE, YET THEY WENT IN. IF WE COULD ASK THEM IF THEY WOULD DO IT AGAIN THE ANSWER WOULD BE YES. WE MUST NEVER FORGET THESE HEROES AND THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN OUR HOUR OF NEED. THE SELFLESS ACTS THAT THEY PERFORMED AND THEY ARE PERFORMING AS I WRITE THIS. PLEASE ADD THE FIREFIGHTERS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO YOUR PRAYERS. ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT HAVE MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE AND THEIR FAMILIES. I AM HONORED TO CALL THEM BROTHER FIREFIGHTERS AND WILL NEVER FORGET THEM. THANX BLAIR
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