THE 343
Ask any firefighter, and he will know,
And they will all agree,
We know that day, and it won't go away, When we lost our 343.
Where were you when the Towers came down, the cry will be
heard through the years.
Where were you when the Twin Towers fell, and we realized our worst
fears.
The old man asked of the young boy he met,
The lad looked up and answered politely,
My daddy's a fireman, and he died that day,
But I still say a prayer for him nightly.
The old man moved on, and he found a young girl,
And he asked the same question of her.
She answered so slow, but I don't really know,
For you see I wasn't born yet sir.
But ask any firefighter, and he will know,
The day the time and the year,
For those of us who fight smoke and fire,
and have no time for fear.
We know that day, and it won't go away
When we lost our 343.
So when you see a fire truck speeding by,
Manned by the men who fight the fight,
Or you hear a wailing siren, in the middle of the night.
It seems so far away, on some lonely thoroughfare,
Pause for a moment, and think a silent prayer...
Bill Mackle, Retired FDNY
