September 11th- Keeping a Promise to Never Forget

I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. An LAFD USAR Task Force member and good friend of mine, had just returned from a tour at Ground Zero. I asked him what moved him the most while he was there for 2 weeks; arriving within days of the horrible event. He told me this, "As our Task Force was packing up and getting ready to come home to L.A., we were all shaking hands with the FDNY Firefighters we had worked alongside. One grabbed my hand...squeezed it firmly...looked me straight in the eyes...and said, PLEASE DON'T FORGET US."

This moved me to find some way to assure the FDNY that we would never forget. It came in the form of a uniform patch...one that included symbols of the day we lost 343 brave brothers...and one that sent them a clear message that we would NEVER FORGET them.

The design of the patch was created and displayed on a banner that was presented to 6 FDNY bike riders that rode across America to thank Americans for their outpouring of love and support. The "Thank You America Tour," started In the Bowery (Manhattan) and ended in Pasadena, California...less than a mile away from where I had been stationed as a Firefighter for the previous 15 years. It was an opportunity to get the acceptance and support from FDNY members prior to producing the patch.

Pasadena, California- Oct. 2001

The 9-11 Patch Project was created in December of 2001 with the goals to get as many of the 9-11 Patches on uniforms as possible while raising funds. It was to begin the healing process and make that promise to Never Forget them. Proceeds from the sale of the $3 patches would go on to benefit the UFA and other 9/11 related charities. 
 
Fire Departments around the world came forward...even all branches of the U.S. Military stepped up as if to say, we are your brothers too and we will fight in your honor. The project evolved to create decals, challenge coins and other memorial items to keep the memory alive and raise funds.

Today, the project has served over 10,000 organizations in 30 plus countries. Even firefighters from other countries chose to wear the 9-11 Patches on their uniforms. (pictured left: Greater Manchester FD in the UK)

Keeping this project on everyone's radar all year round has been a tough nut to crack. Beating the same drum loudly and nearly every day the past 13 years, has most likely been seen as bordering on obsession by many others. So what does one do? I believe this is the answer; 9-11 and the loss of life to the 1st Responder community on that day is part of our history and our future. We remember our fallen brothers and we assure them that we will Never Forget. Some will appreciate this while others will simply move on. Beyond that, we also remind those who choose this profession, of what those who came before them were willing to do and actually did for people they never even met.

Those 1st Responder agencies that wear one of the 9-11 Patches are truly wearing their hearts on their sleeves and sharing common threads. We're not completely healed from the tragedy of that day but we are slowly getting "patched up," and I think that means a lot to our FDNY brothers, some of who are beginning to wear the patches as well.

Learn more about the 9-11 Patch Project here: http://9-11patchproject.org

Be a sponsor to an FDNY Firehouse and send them the 9-11 Patches for free here: http://www.9-11patchproject.org/fdny-sponsor.html

Take Action--I Double Dare You!

Orange City Firefighter, NJ

There was no whining--no bureaucratic road blocks--no hesitation whatsoever when the Orange Fire Department in New Jersey received a flyer from the 9/11 Patch Project asking for their department's participation back in 2002. They had just lost 343 of their brother FDNY firefighters months earlier, and honoring their memory made perfect sense. The fact the project was created by another fellow firefighter and was also a fund raiser--was a no brainer to them. This picture is of an Orange City Firefighter from New Jersey. The Original 9/11 Patch can be seen on the firefighters turnout coat--worn from years of firefighting but none-the-less it is still there representing how Orange Firefighters remember their fallen 343 brothers of the FDNY.

There are thousands of organizations around the world who have made one of the four 9/11 Tribute Patches a permanent part of the uniform, job-shirts, jackets or turnouts. But it has not been easy. What are the road blocks? Why is getting one of these patches from the only project of it's kind  (honoring the memory of our fallen 9/11 heroes) on every departments gear such a task?

Having worked as a firefighter/paramedic and union president in a fire department on the west coast for over 20 years, I have seen the mentality of some organizations out there but don't get it. It has really been about getting everyone on the same page or even getting the issue put to vote. Even the size of the department is not always the issue--its really about who is in charge in the union and the department itself. If the leaders aren't on board for whatever reason, then the rank and file can be left out of the entire process.

To help that decision to come on board with the 9/11 Patch Project as easy as possible, the project has even gone to great lengths to create as much transparency as possible on the website. The project even received an endorsement from the FDNY's Uniformed Fire Officers Association and has donated many 10's of thousands over the years to 9/11 related charities. And as a registered non profit, this worldwide effort to unite firefighters and place a permanent tribute on all uniforms, should have been a no brainer from the start.

LTJG Everett Alcorn- U.S. Navy

Too many folks are looking for a controversy where there is none and using any reason they can think of to opt out of something that may take a bit of effort but may end up being one of the best projects they had ever participated in. Still the patches can be seen on the uniforms of firefighters around the world and even deployed U.S. Soldiers.

So what did one of the largest Fire Departments in the nation do when I approached their union leader during the 10 Year Anniversary of 9/11? He was from Chicago Fire Department. He returned my call within 20 minutes--said he'd welcome our 9/11 Bus tour into their training center--called out his people to meet us--allowed us to present the project and even had the Fire Commissioner there to approve the 9/11 Patch for all FD job-shirts. This man is a leader and can make a decision!!Had he said no, I would have at least respected the fact he was willing to take my call and then make a decision.

There are emails, newsletters and even flyers that have been sent out to all U.S. departments at least twice over the past 10 years. Many were discarded as "junk mail" and members of many departments never even saw info on the project when it was killed at the union president or chief level.Why? Shrug it off to general laziness or the suspicious nature of firefighters.

Here's a news flash: This project is not a money maker for project founder Brett Hill! I have even put over $75,000 of my own money into this project over the years to keep it going. This has contributed to my own financial hardships and put a strain on my family of 5, one of which is my daughter with special needs. Am I whining? Not at all...just putting it all in perspective and just looking for folks to standup and be counted or sit down and say "NO."I keep this project running as I believe it is my calling and the right thing to do. I also do this as years ago when I heard the words, "Please Don't Forget Us," relayed to me from an LAFD firefighter, I made a promise right there to NEVER FORGET.

So if you receive and email from the 9/11 Patch Project in the future, have the guts to act on it and not hide behind the fact you can just ignore it. You may not believe that we should have a uniformed tribute to remember the heroes of 9/11--you may just believe it's time to move on and forget. But have the balls to respond either way.

If you believe in what the project has done over the past 10 years, then please take action! Visit the website and learn more HERE.

A Navy SEAL Honoring the Lost Heroes of 9/11

This photo is of a Navy SEAL from Team-1, taken somewhere in Afghanistan, in early 2002. Even though it was nearly 10 years ago, his face is not being shown for safety and security reasons. Those in the military will know it is authentic by the weaponry and how he is suited up. You'll notice on his right sleeve, he is wearing the Original 9/11 Patch. He made the decision to wear this patch in honor of the 1st Responders lost on 9/11.

This SEAL's actions contributed to thousands of other deployed soldiers in both Iraq & Afghanistan to wear the patch in unity with their Fire, Police & EMS brothers back home. There are some great Photo's on the website that show other U.S. Military personnel wearing the patches.

I met this SEAL about 4 years later when another Southern California Firefighter surprised me by showing up at my house with him one day.

Jacket given to Hill from Navy SEAL

In my 10 year history of running the 9/11 Patch Project, it is the other moment in time that rises above all. I was even more surprised when he handed me a special jacket that he had made for me while deployed in Afghanistan. On the right sleeve, was the insignia of the Team (Hotel Company) just below the 9/11 Patch, that he had also had sewn on. On the back of the jacket, was an incredible embroidered piece that took up the entire back of the jacket. The scene was a map of Afghanistan and about the Enduring Freedom Operation where they, alongside British Special Forces, ousted the Taliban regime from power in Kabul and most of Afghanistan in a matter of weeks.

Ten years later, people still ask me why after suffering such a significant personal financial loss, I still continue the project. They wonder how I can even keep it going when orders are just trickling in. I tell them about this memorable event in the project's history, and I tell them it is about a promise to the heroes of 9/11 to NEVER FORGET. For me, as tough as it is at times to continue to breath life into this project, it is about the families of the lost heroes that have to go on with their lives--without their husbands, fathers & sons. While many in our great nation have moved on, I feel it is my duty to continue the work of the project to insure the memory of their ultimate sacrifice lives on.

If you believe in the project and would like to see it stay open, there are a number of ways you can help. The website is http://9-11patchproject.org and you will see where their are opportunities to purchase the patches & decals, add your name to the 9/11 WALL, make a donation or even apply for the Capital One 9/11 cards. Any level of support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to those out there who have supported this project the past 10 years and allowed me to continue doing what I feel I was called to do!

Is it Time to Move on?

Brett Hill- Founder

At the end of 2011 I take a moment to reflect over the past year and the previous 10 that I have submerged my life into the 9/11 Patch Project. There are no mixed emotions...the drive to get one of the four 9/11 Patches on all public safety and and U.S. military uniforms or other clothing, is a journey I began in December of 2001 and a journey that will only end when I do. Is it an obsession over 9/11? No, it is about keeping a promise to Never Forget.

It is time to move on from the tragic, graphic and horrible images of 9/11 but it is not time to forget. When I heard the words, "Please Don't Forget Us," spoken from an FDNY Firefighter to an LAFD Firefighter at Ground Zero, it did not mean to me that I would run the 9/11 Patch Project for 10 years and move on. To Never Forget, means to always remember...simple translation and an obvious one at that. But, it does not seem so obvious to many in this resilient nation who have literally decided to completely move on.

Rio Hondo Fire Academy- Santa Fe Springs, CA

Every new fire recruit at the Rio Hondo Fire Academy in Santa Fe Springs, California, receives two patches to be sewn on their academy uniforms--the Rio Hondo Patch and the 9/11 Patch. Even 10 years after the tragic event that took the lives of 343 firefighters, those that have decided to start their career at Rio Hondo, will do so fully understanding the sacrifice of so many that came before them. They will also understand fully, what they may face as a future firefighter. This is a message that Academy Chief Tracy Rickman sends to every fire recruit that comes through Rio Hondo Fire Academy. As one of the guest speakers at Rio Hondo's 2011 summer graduation, it was truly inspirational to look out at the graduating class and see them all proudly wearing their 9/11 Patches.

As many across the nation completely move on from 9/11, the 9/11 Patch Project ramps up by recently hiring 24 representatives to continue the 9/11 Patch drive on a closer and more personal level. Working from Southern California the past 10 years has been challenging. Sending out newsletters, posting on Facebook (and many other social networks), sending emails, posting press releases and making phone calls has just not been enough. The project has even sent out two mailers to every fire department in the nation the past 10 years and it has just not been enough. Having local representatives utilizing their professional connections and actually visiting organizations, is something that has become very necessary.

Although the 9/11 Patch Project appreciates the purchase of one or two patches & decals from supporters on Facebook's NeverForget911 page, the project is really about getting these patches on the shoulders of all public safety and U.S. military uniforms. It is about taking one of the most tragic events in American History and turning it into a positive moving forward. The world responded in a way we have never seen after the events of 9/11. People came together--borders were erased--politics were ignored--and cultural differences didn't matter. This simple idea of a 9/11 Patch on every uniform helps us all remember the heroes of 9/11 and remember how the world came together after the lives lost on 9/11 became the world's loss.

So pick up a patch or decal if you are wondering why you see them on the shoulders of firefighters, police officers and soldiers around the world. If you are an organization that honors and continues to remember the loss of your fellow heroes of 9/11, then pick up a 100 or so and get them on your uniforms. It's been 10 years but it's never too late to Never Forget.

*If you are a civilian or an organization that is not interested in participating in the 9/11 Patch Project, but still want to show your support,  then why not show your support by adding your name or organization to the 9/11 WALL.