I just got off of the phone with Rocky at USA Kilts and I will soon be the proud owner of a Firefighters Memorial Tartan Kilt. It will be my third kilt, and in many ways will have more sentimentality connected to it than my MacDuff Hunting tank from Kathy Lare or my Modern Johnston casual from Locharron.

I was able to watch the World Trade Center being built from my high school classroom windows. I gazed at it at least twice each workday for the years that I was commuting on the Staten Island Ferry, and on the weekends as I was just driving around. I dined and danced there, as well as just strolled around it and marvelled at the architecture. I studied it in my Fire Science classes at John Jay College in the early 80's. I even have a childhood friend, The Rev. Everett Wabst, who has developed lymphoma because of the months that he spent there as a NY Fire Department Chaplain after 9/11.

Now I am in the fire safety business. When I am out and about in my kilt, you and I both know that I will get the inevitable questions as to the significance of the Tartan. My answer now will not be about my family sacrifice and heritage. It will be about my life and the sacrifice of my friends and neighbors.

Thank you to Kelly for designing this Tartan, and thank you to Rocky for making this piece of world history available to us.