Eagle 9’s Final Call
Service and Honor
Ever since Benjamin Franklin established the first Fire Brigade in Philadelphia, we have seen the importance of fire fighters serving the community. In our town of Perth Amboy, we remember the tragic accident and death of nine firefighters (the Eagle 9) one hundred years ago. (See pages 10-11)
On June 15, 2021, a majestic service was held near the location on Elm Street where the incident occurred. We also recognized the line of duty deaths in the past.
During this past year and half of the pandemic, we’ve witnessed the courage and devotion of our firefighters, EMS, and first responders in protecting and serving the citizens of Perth Amboy.
Thank you for your service. You are our heroes.
Marcella Massopust
Juneteenth
Another celebration in Perth Amboy was to mark the new federal holiday recently signed into law by President Joe Biden was Junteenth (June 19th). Jeanette Wilson Perry who put together an impressive panel of speakers. The one that was outstanding was a young man by the name of Endasi Lukoma who is a Perth Amboy Chapter New Jersey Orator who gave a speech about the symbolism and history behind the Junteenth flag.
He spoke with the authority of someone three times his age. He commanded everyone’s attention. All the speakers came from a different variety of backgrounds. Lt. Governor Shelia Oliver shared a similar background of myself. We both grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of diversity with people of many different backgrounds, but there is something we all had in common: respectful disagreements and have love and respect for one another and love of country.
In Endasi Lukoma’s speech, he emphasized that we are all proud Americans and all deserve respect because we are all part of America’s history.
Some of the most patriotic stories are from people who came to this country, work hard, and had to wait years and study to become naturalized citizens. The stories that they told escaping the cruelties of their native countries to live the American Dream are something that can bring tears to your eyes.
Recently, when I was looking at YouTube, one of the feeds was a YouTube video of a 91 year old man who was a Holocaust survivor. He emphatically stated, “Anybody who disrespects America will have to fight me.” He lived through atrocities of the Holocaust and was able to survive when he was freed by the American troops. Carolyn Maxwell
