Note: This post is a reprise, originally posted on September 11, 2009 and part of Project 2996.
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It is a rare breed of man or woman that will willingly, unquestioningly, and courageously place themselves in grave danger to protect and save strangers.
This quality cannot be 'taught', we can't 'train' people to be brave, we can't use external motivators like money or prestige to inspire this in people.
The bravest and the most noble among us have this quality as an innate component of their char
Thomas Hetzelacter.
Many of the men and women so endowed gravitate towards public service, in the military, or in law enforcement or as firefighters.
Thomas Hetzel was one such man. Reading through the numerous tributes left for him, clearly tells the story.
Thomas Hetzel was a member of Ladder Company 13, in Manhattan, and was one of the 343 members of the FDNY who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001.
Thomas by all accounts was a remarkable man. A caring and loving husband and father, devoted son, and fast friend. At 33, he was just at the beginning of the arc of his life, with certainly the expectation of a long and happy life, filled with family and friends. Certainly he was well aware of the inherent risk and danger of his profession, but being the kind of man he was, he shouldered those risks quietly, did his duty, cared for his family, and held up his end of the bargain.
Men and women do not take on that responsibility because they have to, or even perhaps because they want to. They take on that incredible burden because they feel compelled.
Thomas Hetzel was a hero. To see the chaos, devastation, and turmoil of Ground Zero and to walk in to the abyss, with the only thought being to rescue those already trapped requires courage that is almost incomprehensible.
Thomas Hetzel, along with 342 other members of the FDNY gave his life that day. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives at the World Trade Center. But 18,000 people survived, many due to the courage, heroism, and sacrifice of people like Thomas Hetzel.
My little memorial here is really a poor effort at honoring a hero like Thomas Hetzel.
As Abraham Lincoln said
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here
I will never forget Thomas Hetzel, and all the men and women that were the heroes of September 11, 2001.
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Note: This post is a part of Project 2,996, a tribute to the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001.