In a previous post I wrote about some of the police patches found at The Cheap Place -- today I want to focus on the fireman patches. The Cheap Place carries several patches dedicated to firefighters including the black and white FDNY MIA patch. When I saw this patch for the first time it never occurred to me that firefighters would be classified as "missing in action" the same way soldiers are. But after thinking about it, I could see the connection pretty clearly. And firefighters who go MIA are just as important to their friends and loved ones as soldiers.
The FDNY MIA Never Forgotten patch is specifically dedicated to those firefighters who were lost in the Twin Towers collapse of September 11, 2001. They are considered MIA because the collapse of the towers was so powerfully devastating that it reduced everything to dust -- including the firefighters and other victims. So complete was the destruction that what remains of some of these individuals will never be able to be identified.
I'm sure this patch is probably very popular among current and retired firefighters everywhere. Sewing it on a jacket or ironing it to a ball cap is a great way to honor the fallen heroes of 9/11. If you ever see someone wearing a patch like this, stop and take a few minutes to count your blessings...and be thankful for firefighters everywhere. They risk their lives to protect complete strangers like you and me.
