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by LOUISE GRAY
VETERANS of the 11 September rescue yesterday paid tribute to everyone who helped save lives following the plastics factory explosion in Glasgow which claimed the lives of nine people.
Lieutenant John Atwell was one of two officials from of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) who joined about 200 worshippers at Cathcart Old Parish Church to give thanks for the work of emergency workers, office staff and shop workers who helped in the aftermath of the catastrophic blast.
Firefighters and paramedics in uniform sat alongside shop workers from Asda, who assisted in the rescue operation in Maryhill earlier this month, during the hour-long service of hymns and readings.
There was also a presentation of flags from the FDNY, who are flying a flag outside the United States for the first time.
Mr Atwell lost 40 members of his division when the Twin Towers collapsed on 11 September, 2001 and said he wanted to pay his respects personally and professionally.
He said: "I am glad we are here to show our respect and sympathy for the families who lost loved ones but also we commend the men of the fire brigade, ambulance units and ordinary civilians who helped out."
Mr Atwell, 40, of Engine Company 219 in Brooklyn, said the four-storey collapse in Maryhill was on a smaller scale, but similar in loss.
He added: "Statistics and numbers do not really tell the story. Of course the sheer numbers were greater in New York but the loss of just one person and the pain is tremendous for the individuals who have to go through it. So, even though it was smaller, a loss is a loss. Grief has no boundaries."
Brian Sweeney, Strathclyde firemaster who also attended the service, said the presence of the FDNY added poignancy to the service. He said: "In microcosm there is a similarity with events in New York, obviously on a smaller scale, but I think that made it a particularly poignant service in that sense."
The service was organised by a charity, Glasgow the Caring City, to provide "spiritual closure" for all those involved in the emergency operation following the blast, which killed nine people.
Mr Sweeney agreed emergency workers and the community as a whole needed time to "recover".
He added: "Services such as this are all part of the healing process, not just for the families of people who have lost their lives but also for rescue workers."
Mr Atwell and the assistant commissioner for families at FDNY, Serena Joyce, were visiting Glasgow to organise a trip for orphaned children and decided to pay their tribute while in the city. Mrs Joyce works with more than 600 children under 18 who lost a father on 11 September .
She said: "We heard about Maryhill in New York and we were very sad - I think just the news of an explosion, a collapse, the fact people were working extraordinarily hard on the rescue operation.
"On behalf of FDNY, we wanted to offer our heartfelt sympathy for the families and our admiration for the rescue services and the volunteers."
The FDNY are bringing a group of children to Scotland in the summer for a break organised by Glasgow the Caring City. FDNY were also presented with a specially-designed tartan from Cameron Kilts in Lanarkshire. The new tartan mixes green to symbolise Central Park, blue to symbolise the Hudson River, and black crosses to symbolise 11 September.
A chaplain of Strathclyde Fire Brigade, the Reverend Neil Galbraith gave particular thanks to the shop workers at Asda in Maryhill who brought around £3,000 worth of food and clothing from the store for the emergency workers.
"Everyone was important and if you asked anyone why they did it they would say to make sure everyone was given the chance to live," he said
Asda workers also took over ice and drinks in the hot summer weather, many workers transporting goods out of working hours, and donated the store’s charity money towards the support services.
Eileen O’Brien, 48, a shopworker in Asda, said: "Everyone wanted to do something when the disaster happened. It was an honour for us to go down there and give support."
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