JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The plumes of smoke may have settled years ago, but the memory of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, will never go away. For some, the memory is closer than for others -- some lived it very personally.
For some special New York City firefighters and their families, the emotions they still feel about that day sparked a generous outpouring of school supplies to help children in an Afghan town that used to be home to the very man that caused them so much pain.
“It started when some of the firefighters heard that the Taliban was burning schools and they wanted to help,” said Navy Cmdr. John Gormley, the regional adviser for Combined Joint Task Force-82 to the ISAF commander. Gormley is a reserve sailor. In civilian life, he serves as a fire captain in New York City.
Gormley and colleagues discussed sending donations to Afghan children. “I told them that if they sent the stuff to me, I’d get it there,” he said. “When I talked to my best friend, Lt. Patrick Neville -- he’s a firefighter with Ladder Company 42 in New York. He said, ‘We got the same people that affected our lives on 9/11 affecting these young children’s lives too. This is an opportunity to help those young children who have suffered from the same element that hurt us on 9/11.’”
(Photo: Navy Cmdr. John Gormley hands out school supplies to a group of young girls at an Afghan school in Jalalabad April 3. (Photo by Army Pfc. Jaime D. Mial))
For some special New York City firefighters and their families, the emotions they still feel about that day sparked a generous outpouring of school supplies to help children in an Afghan town that used to be home to the very man that caused them so much pain.
“It started when some of the firefighters heard that the Taliban was burning schools and they wanted to help,” said Navy Cmdr. John Gormley, the regional adviser for Combined Joint Task Force-82 to the ISAF commander. Gormley is a reserve sailor. In civilian life, he serves as a fire captain in New York City.
Gormley and colleagues discussed sending donations to Afghan children. “I told them that if they sent the stuff to me, I’d get it there,” he said. “When I talked to my best friend, Lt. Patrick Neville -- he’s a firefighter with Ladder Company 42 in New York. He said, ‘We got the same people that affected our lives on 9/11 affecting these young children’s lives too. This is an opportunity to help those young children who have suffered from the same element that hurt us on 9/11.’”
(Photo: Navy Cmdr. John Gormley hands out school supplies to a group of young girls at an Afghan school in Jalalabad April 3. (Photo by Army Pfc. Jaime D. Mial))
No comments:
Post a Comment