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Braving the Waves: Rockaway Rises -- And Rises Again
Braving the Waves Rockaway Rises And Rises Again Author:Kevin Boyle The true story of those from Rockaway, New York who ran to help on September 11, and then faced another unprecedented tragedy when American Airlines Flight 587 nose-dived into their small community. Few places--other than Ground Zero itself--can more acutely mark before and after September 11 and November 12, 2001 than the Harbor Light, a neigh... more »borhood pub in Rockaway, located in the shadows of Manhattans skyscrapers. -Before, you might meet regular customer, George Johnson, there. After, hes one of the flag-raising firefighters in the now-famous photo reminiscent of the marines at Iwo Jima. -Before, you might bump into Mike Moran. After, hes the firefighter immortalized on a best-selling CD, who told a packed Madison Square Garden that Osama Bin Laden could "kiss his royal Irish ass." -Before, young stockbrokers would get a good-natured ribbing from their firefighting buddies for choosing the "safe" career path. After, youd find they werent so safe after all. -Beforein fact, just the night beforeyou might have seen Tommy Carroll and Danny Suhr yelling at the Giants as they were losing the season opener to the Denver Broncos. After, Tommy is the guy who got lucky. A fire company was short a man so he filled in. Had he stayed with his regular crew, hed be deadjust like the rest of them. Truth is, hes not so lucky. He can still hear the sound of humans hitting the ground from 100 stories above him. And Danny? Hes dead killed by one of the jumpers. -Before, youd meet Pete Hayden, Deputy Chief FDNY, having a beer with his brother Jack, who moonlights behind the bar when hes not fighting fires himself. After, you wouldnt see Pete much. He stayed at Ground Zero, working every day for two months straight. When he finally decided to give himself a day off, he picked November 12the day American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into his Rockaway neighborhood right next to the Harbor Light.« less