A Special Account From Our Editor
Saint James was at the center of something truly extraordinary, this past Friday. As many residents passed along Lake Avenue, in their regular morning ritual, a sea blue dispersed from the train station, traveling along 25A and every back road that lead to Saints Philip and James Church. Thousands of Firefighters in their dress blues traveled from all over the Country to bid a final farewell to Battalion Chief Lawrence T. Stack.
After Fifteen years of waiting for closure, his family received news that the blood bank located Chief Stack’s donated blood, which he gave weeks prior to the attacks, during a drive for a child with cancer. At approximately 7 PM on June 8th, 2016 F.D.N.Y. Manhattan Dispatch transmitted a signal 5-5-5-5 for Battalion Chief Lawrence T Stack. All FDNY Firehouses lowered their flags to half mast, as did St. James F.D.. Two days prior to the funeral procession, every resident received a call to prepare for road closures for Stack’s Funeral. And on Friday morning, shortly after 9AM, a remarkable act of humanity unfolded in our great community.
Thousands upon thousands of fellow firefighters lined the streets leading to Saints Philip and James Church. Children who were born years after 9-11 held the hands of their Mothers and Fathers, as the history and memory of fallen heroes was passed down a generation, right before my eyes. The roaring motors of the American Legion Riders sounded off along Lake Avenue, as a Giant American Flag was raised between two fire department Aerial Ladders.
As a writer, it’s a rare occasion when the words to describe a moment in time might escape me. I witnessed thousands of mourners bid Father Judge farewell, in the days after September 11th, 2001, in what was, what I believed to be the single most hopeful moment, living through the terror attacks. Fifteen years later, in the wake of the Orlando shooting, now back in the town where I was raised… that hope and faith in my fellow man is reborn.
Chief Larry Stack was both a warrior and a compassionate neighbor, friend and beloved by his family, at home here in Saint James and on the job at Safety Battalion 1. His final farewell is indicative of the countless lives he touched, which no amount of time can wither. A beacon of hope, that he and his fellow 342 fallen brethren to answer the call on September 11th, 2001 will forever live on, in our great community.