Ceremonial Unit Honors Fallen Firefighters
Firefighter James Sorokac gives a slight nod, the signal that starts yet another memorial service for a fallen brother.
A borrowed firetruck from Elizabeth, N.J., slowly moves up the street as a double line of firefighters in dress blues stands at attention. Bagpipers from the New York City Fire Department follow, marching to a solemn drumbeat.
On this day it’s Staten Island. But it’s a scene Sorokac, part of the Fire Department’s ceremonial unit, has witnessed all too often since the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center left 343 firefighters missing or dead.
The ceremonial unit, which coordinates funeral details among families, houses of worship and the department, has planned and attended 152 services so far.
It is not yet halfway through.
Before the attack, the six-man ceremonial unit would handle an average of six funerals in an entire year. “Now we’re doing six a day,” Sorokac said.
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