50 troops wounded in Iraq, Afghanistan gather in Concord firehouse

50 troops wounded in Iraq, Afghanistan gather in Concord firehouse

Vincent Barone

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Injured servicemen and women from the Walter Reed Medical Center came to Rescue Co. 5 and Engine 160's fire house today to kickoff this year's weekend stay at Breezy Point, Queens.

One hundred family members, firefighters and police officers came to welcome the troops, some of whom used wheelchairs, others with prosthetic arms or legs.

"All these guys at Rescue 5 and Engine 160 do a great job," said Acting Staten Island Borough Commander Michael Marrone. "We consider it an honor -- to show our appreciation to the troops."

Many of the troops came from all over the country and have never been to New York. At the fire house they were treated to Staten Island pizza and sandwich heroes, but most of all, to their loved ones' support.

After their luncheon at the firehouse, police vehicles and fire trucks escorted the troops on a parade down the Belt Parkway to Rockaway Beach, where they will spend a weekend with citizens of Breezy Point who have opened their homes to the troops.
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Concord firehouse

FDNY firefighter Jason Brezler spends Christmas in Afghanistan

Lombard for News
Firefighters of Ladder 58 hold a photo of Jason Brezler who is fighting in Afghanistan

FDNY firefighter Jason Brezler spends Christmas in Afghanistan fighting Taliban not fires
BY Stephanie Gaskell AND Barry Paddock
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Sunday, December 27th 2009, 12:20 PM


Bronx firefighter Jason Brezler usually volunteers at the firehouse on Christmas, but this year he spent the holiday fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

"If I wasn't here, 90 percent I'd probably be filling in for someone who has kids," Brezler told the Daily News from his combat outpost in Helmand province. "Those guys are all away from their families, too."

Brezler, 31, is a captain with the Marine Reserves, serving with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.

He's been deployed four times since Sept. 11.

"I'm actually proud to be here," he said. "We all volunteered for this deployment. All of us wanted to come here and contribute to the fight in Afghanistan."
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FDNY firefighter Jason Brezler spends Christmas in Afghanistan

9/11 Still Producing FDNY Casualties

At least four of those failed tests were tied to firefighters suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to their work on or shortly after 9/11, the firefighters union says.

9/11 Still Producing FDNY Casualties
Firehouse.com (subscription) - USA

REUVEN BLAU
Courtesy of The New York Post


John Schroeder lost everything on 9/11 - and now it's cost him his job as well.

As a hose man for Engine Co. 10, Schroeder was one of the first firefighters to respond to both the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, reaching the 23rd floor of the north tower during the latter catastrophe.

"I saw more people die that day than anyone can imagine," he told The Post.

Afterward, he struggled to cope with the staggering loss of 55 friends and colleagues. "I turned to the drink, the whole department did," he said.

Now Schroeder, 49, is one of several scarred firefighters fighting to keep their pensions because of failed drug tests, caught between the sympathy of their colleagues and the zero-tolerance policy of the Fire Department.

Schroeder tested positive for cocaine during a random FDNY drug sweep on Oct. 24, 2004. He denies using cocaine and claims he's been sober for more than a year. His lawyers argue he's a victim of a flawed test.

The department moved to fire Schroeder through a disciplinary hearing. In a highly unusual ruling, an administrative-law judge in August 2007 recommended that the 18-year veteran be allowed to retire with dignity.

Judge Kevin Casey didn't comment on the drug-test results but suggested the FDNY allow the decorated firefighter to complete his application for a disability pension. That way, Casey said, Schroeder, who suffers from lung disease that he believes came from breathing toxic Ground Zero air, could keep his health benefits.

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