Dear Editor:
We are close to the one year anniversary of the cowardly terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and there are thousands of heroic stories that will probably, forever remain untold. I am a Deputy Fire Chief for the Hoboken Fire Department and thought it appropriate to relate to the citizens of Hoboken of one such native son that made a difference during and after that tragic event that not many residents of Hoboken are aware of. Mayor Roberts as you may know served as a Hoboken firefighter from 1981 through 1985, and I would like to give you a better understanding of his character, warmth, compassion and generosity during and after that terrible time.
After 911 we approached the Mayor and asked for a bus to transport Hoboken firefighters who expressed their desire to go over to ground zero to assist in the rescue efforts. The Mayor provided this bus for us and 30 firefighters went to ground zero.
The Hoboken firefighters and fire officers wanted to show their support for Mayor Roberts and decided to run a fundraiser to help defray some of the debt he incurred during his bid for mayoral office, and the event was planned to take place near the end of September 2001.
At the fundraising event with over 200 people in attendance I asked the Mayor if once again we could impose on him to provide a bus for transportation for firefighters to pay their respects to a Battalion Chief that had graciously “loaned” the City of Hoboken a fire truck several years ago which we kept for two years and then this New York Battalion Chief arranged for Hoboken to purchase it for $200! He stood up and said not only would he provide the transportation to pay our respects to the widow of this fire officer but that he would also attend his funeral service personally. Additionally he informed everyone that he was going to donate all of the money generated from the fundraiser for him to the NY firefighters’ widows and orphans fund, which totaled over $7,000!
True to his word he provided the transportation, he attended the memorial service and he also had a proclamation drawn up and put in a wonderful picture frame and asked me if it were possible to present it to the widow of the fallen firefighter. I personally brought him to this widow’s home before the memorial service where he presented it to her and thanked her for the service that her husband so selflessly supplied not only to the Hoboken Fire Department but also to all of the citizens of Hoboken. He extended Hoboken’s undying friendship to her family and told her that her husband came to Hoboken’s aid in our time of need and that he wanted her to know that Hoboken would always be there for her and her family should the need ever arise. I know this woman personally, and I can attest to the solace that he provided her in this terrible time in her life.
Not many people know of these events and the Mayor is not one to “toot” his own horn, and I have privately thanked him for his kindness, concern, compassion and generosity, however I felt since we are coming up on the first anniversary of this tragedy, I thought it appropriate to do so publicly so that all of the citizens of Hoboken can have a better understanding of the caliber of the man they elected to lead the City of Hoboken.
Thank you Mayor Roberts.
Richard Blohm
1st District Vice President
Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey