They started off by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Ten minutes
later, they were reading the text of a resolution claiming the
existence of “overwhelming evidence” that “pre-planted explosives . .
. caused the destruction of the three World Trade Center buildings.”
And so it was, on July 24, 2019 — nearly 18 years after the horrific
attacks that traumatized a nation and changed the world forever —
the
Franklin Square and Munson Fire District, which oversees a volunteer fire department serving a hamlet of
30,000 residents just outside of Queens, New York, became the first
legislative body in the country to officially support a new
investigation into the events of 9/11.
The resolution, drafted and introduced by Commissioner Christopher
Gioia, was unanimously approved by the five commissioners. Members of
the audience — including the families of fallen firefighters Thomas J.
Hetzel and Robert Evans, both Franklin Square natives — joined in
solemn but celebratory applause after the fifth “ay” was spoken.
From left to right: Commissioner Philip F. Malloy, Jr.;
Commissioner Dennis G. Lyons; District Secretary Kerry Santina;
Commissioner Joseph M. Torregrossa; Attorney Kenneth Gray;
Commissioner Christopher L. Gioia; Commissioner Les Saltzman
Conversing with guests after the meeting, Commissioner Dennis Lyons
remarked on the enormous and lasting toll that 9/11 has taken on the
Franklin Square community. “We have a memorial — a piece of steel from
the World Trade Center with 28 holes where the nuts and bolts used to
go,” Lyons explained. “Every year on the 11th, we put a rose in each
hole for the 24 Nassau County firefighters and four Franklin Square
residents who died on 9/11.”
“We have a memorial — a piece of steel from the World Trade Center
with 28 holes where the nuts and bolts used to go. Every year on the
11th, we put a rose in each hole for the 24 Nassau County firefighters
and four Franklin Square residents who died on 9/11.”
— Commissioner Dennis Lyons
The impact of 9/11 on the community extends well beyond the victims
and their grieving families. On September 12, 2001, the Franklin
Square Fire Department was called in to assist with the massive rescue
and recovery effort that was just getting underway. Countless members
of the department, including Gioia and Commissioner Philip Malloy
(then rank-and-file firefighters), spent weeks on the pile searching
in vain for civilians and fellow responders who might still be alive.
Today, Malloy is one of thousands suffering chronic health effects.
A memorial to Thomas J. Hetzel, a member of the New York Fire
Department and Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department, who
died on September 11, 2001.
The department also lost one of its own in Thomas J. Hetzel,
affectionately referred to as “Tommy” by the commissioners. Hetzel was
a full-time member of the New York Fire Department in addition to
serving as a volunteer firefighter in Franklin Square. A touching
memorial to Hetzel was on display during the meeting, and Hetzel’s
widow, parents, and sister were all in attendance.
“The Hetzel and Evans families were very appreciative of the
proceedings,” Gioia commented the day after the meeting. “They know
it’s an uphill struggle. But at least they have hope, which is
something they haven’t had in a long time.”
The Franklin Square and Munson Fire District commissioners greet
the families of fallen firefighters Thomas J. Hetzel and Robert
Evans, both Franklin Square natives.
Besides the commissioners’ desire to see justice done for their fallen
brothers and deceased neighbors, the driving force behind the
resolution was a petition filed last year with United States Attorney
for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman by
the
Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, outlining the evidence of the World Trade Center’s explosive
demolition on 9/11.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office notified the Lawyers’ Committee in November
that it would indeed comply with the federal statute requiring the
U.S. Attorney to present the petition to a special grand jury. The
news set off a
wave of hope, among those paying attention, that the wheels of justice were
finally beginning to move in the right direction.
Adding a surge to that wave of hope, the Franklin Square resolution
declares the fire district’s full backing of the (presumably) ongoing
grand jury investigation in Lower Manhattan, while also proclaiming
the district’s support for “any and all efforts by other government
entities to investigate and uncover the full truth surrounding the
events of that horrible day.”
“We’re a tight-knit community and we never forget our fallen brothers
and sisters. You better believe that when the entire fire service of
New York State is on board, we will be an unstoppable force.”
— Commissioner Christopher Gioia
Speaking to those still present after the meeting, Gioia made it clear
that this was the first step in a long process. Their goal now is to
get every fire district in the state to go on record supporting a new
9/11 investigation.
“We’re a tight-knit community and we never forget our fallen brothers
and sisters,” Gioia said. “You better believe that when the entire
fire service of New York State is on board, we will be an unstoppable
force.”
After a pause, Gioia added, “We were the first fire district to pass
this resolution. We won’t be the last.”
The Franklin Square and Munson Fire District 9/11 Resolution
Whereas, the attacks of September 11, 2001, are inextricably and
forever tied to the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department;
Whereas, on September 11, 2001, while operating at the World Trade
Center in New York City, firefighter Thomas J. Hetzel, badge #290 of
Hook and Ladder Company #1, Franklin Square and Munson Fire
Department of New York, was killed in performance of his duties,
along with 2,976 other emergency responders and civilians;
Whereas, members of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department
were called upon to assist in the subsequent rescue and recovery
operations and cleanup of the World Trade Center site, afflicting
many of them with life-threatening illnesses as a result of
breathing the deadly toxins present at the site;
Whereas, the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Franklin Square and
Munson Fire District recognizes the significant and compelling
nature of the petition before the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York reporting un-prosecuted federal crimes
at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and calling upon
the United States Attorney to present that petition to a Special
Grand Jury pursuant to the United States Constitution and 18 U.S.C.
SS 3332(A);
Whereas, the overwhelming evidence presented in said petition
demonstrates beyond any doubt that pre-planted explosives and/or
incendiaries — not just airplanes and the ensuing fires — caused the
destruction of the three World Trade Center buildings, killing the
vast majority of the victims who perished that day;
Whereas, the victims of 9/11, their families, the people of New
York City, and our nation deserve that every crime related to the
attacks of September 11, 2001, be investigated to the fullest and
that every person who was responsible face justice;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Fire Commissioners
of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District fully supports a
comprehensive federal grand jury investigation and prosecution of
every crime related to the attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as
any and all efforts by other government entities to investigate and
uncover the full truth surrounding the events of that horrible
day.
