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I got this e-mail the other day and after asking I decided to post it as an addition to the FDIC report, Thanks Mark. If you would like to see more pics from FDIC go to the Band of Brothers Myspace page HERE
I just read the piece about FDIC on your website. Just wanted to touch base and add a few things. Things some folks didn’t know or might not have heard unless you were on that bus but I think should be known...
The bus ride was pure... something. For me anyway. I don’t have the word for it and maybe since you’re the writer you can look one up for me but it was pure ______. Monday when FDIC started we were all getting excited and dreaming about the beer and friends. Wednesday is usually when the pipe bands from the other cities show up, ya know, for the FOOLs Bash. I guess Billy and Clayton started kicking around the idea on Monday of getting a load of us over to Cincinnati. Billy and I were going back and forth on Myspace and since I had most of us (piper/ drummer types) on our friends list I started putting out the bulletins to anyone who might be interested. I believe that was Monday, and I confirmed with my band who would be attending FDIC for Wednesday. At first it looked as though I was going to be the only one, and called Clayton to let him know. By Tuesday night G-Ron (Ron from Gary FD aka Ghetto ass Ron) said he would be riding with me and we were making that bus come hell or high water. We were in.
Ron and I left my house about 5am Chicago time since Indy is an hour ahead and we needed to be there around 9am Indy time. Honestly we made it with 5min to spare. As we were walking up into the convention center we were met by the guys from Palm Beach Co (Ferg, Doug, and John) and started hugging like a bunch of girls. Mikey (bass, Indy) and Chad (tenor, Indy) helped us get our stuff to the bus. Then Phil showed up. Phil Leslie, if you didn’t know Phil is beyond a stand up guy. This cat always has a great attitude and a smile. I met him about 3 yrs ago at FDIC and we’ve been friends since. This past year he drove out to play with us for a LODD funeral for a South Bend cop (Lazzaro). Also, he is a great showman and swings the sticks like a god. Anyway, he drove from Cleveland to Indy just to get on the bus and ride with us. I was really glad to see him as were the rest of the group. Dave (snare, Indy) brought a cooler with some refreshments (Lone Star beer). Although Dave is still with Indy he had left Indiana and moved to Texas several years ago. He maintains his affiliation with Indy though and says they’re his extended family whom he misses everyday. We boarded the bus and began the fellowship and catching up. What a ride!
We traded pics and Ron regaled us with the adventures of an arsonist in Gary named "Batman" that kept his fire department busy for years. It was a nice prelude for a much more somber time. When we first arrived at the funeral home (castle is more like it) we were told to go and eat inside. There was a great lunch waiting for us and any of the other color/honor guards that showed up later. We ate and then introduced ourselves to the Ohio guards and pipers that had come from all over the state for the service. They couldn’t believe that we had come in from TX and Chicago and Florida and Massachusetts. It was the least we could do for a sister and brother. We also met up with our brothers from Dublin, OH (great drum line) and we were glad to see them. Later on we formed up with the Hamilton Co Sheriffs band and the PM for them was a dude name Watts (Kevin I think). He was very good at what he did and very cool to all the bands. The bands massed together and marched to the service as we played one of the most touching ceremonies I’ve ever been a part of. The streets really had been lined with folks from the community coming to pay respects, too. I thought they only did that in movies anymore.
The ride back was nice but tainted when we learned that firefighters Broxterman and Schira had probably succumbed because they had fallen into a secret room used for illicit growing purposes. Then we found out about the LODD in Lawrence Park Twp, PA where the aerial waterway had malfunctioned and killed another brother. Although we were tired from such a long day we knew we had happier times in store with the FOOLs bash that evening. We also knew that we had been apart of a really special service. We knew the families and community were beginning the healing process. I hoped we helped.
I was really proud to be with those guys and for the first time I had a chance to play a funeral with some folks I would never normally get to. Check out the pics on our Myspace (thanks to Koma photography).
Also I met Ray McCormack of FDNY. One night after we were stumbling out of Steak n Shake at 4am G-Ron and me were parting ways with Ray who is the coolest guy with some great stories. I gave him the "be safe" that we all say when were leaving another brother and he tells me "keep fire in your life". I don’t know if you read my bulletin/blog about it but it was one of those things that just stuck. Another marker in this particular year at FDIC.
I'm hoping it was like that for you. BS+KFIYL
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