By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48813566
Some of you will recall this spring and summer when Jon Stewart was making pleas to politcians to extend the Zadroga act (is a U.S. law to provide health monitoring and financial aid to the first responders, volunteers, and survivors of the September 11 attacks).From Wikipedia
James Zadroga (February 8, 1971 – January 5, 2006) was a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer who died of a respiratory disease that has been attributed to his participation in rescue and recovery operations in the rubble of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. Zadroga was the first NYPD officer whose death was attributed to exposure to his contact with toxic chemicals at the attack site.
Zadroga had joined the New York City Police Department in 1992 and attained the rank of Detective. He was a healthy non-smoker and had no known history of asthma or other respiratory conditions before spending 450 hours participating in the recovery efforts at the 9/11 attack site. Weeks after his time at the World Trade Center site, Zadroga developed a persistent cough, and, as the months progressed, he developed shortness of breath and became unable to walk distances more than 100 feet without gasping for air.
Lots of us remember the day that this happened and like any national event most of us can tell you exactly what we were doing on that day at that time. I was actually working on my Associates as a registered nurse at the time. I had been an LPN for a couple of years at the time and was headed into class…
These memories are not important, memorializing those killed, while important, is not as important as taking care of those that are still fighting the exposure that occurred on that day. As a country we do a shitty job at taking care of those that work to our benefit. Oh sure we will wave a flag and sing songs and pay a crap ton of lip service to these folks and “remember where we were”, build a memorial and hold candlelight vigils, but when it comes to actually paying people and compensating them after they serve, we act like spoiled children (or drag queens) when we are asked to help take care of them. I guess what do I expect? We already treat war wounded veterans like last nights one night stand (here’s cab fare, you can find the door), why not do the same to first responders. I worked in EMS, the pay and benefits are already shitty, I was also a soldier (yep same shitty pay). The least we owe these folks, the least, is healthcare and follow up at no cost. Every flag waving, flag shirt wearing, song singing patriot , every take care of our own before we take care of an immigrant crowd needs to actually use the will of the public to force the idea that we do take care of these people and not just use the phrase as a line against immigration (by the way, we can afford to help both and should). Most so-called “patriots” can’t lift a finger to even call their congressman to demand better benefits for these folks, yet can get off their asses to protest all sorts of other spending. It makes me ill (better check my blood pressure).
Stop waving your flags, stop being pissed off about having healthcare mandated and the rules tightened to your benefit . I am a nurse and even the biggest, toughest, flag wavingest, person becomes a little baby when an IV needle comes out or they are in the hospital. Many of these people have good health insurance. Everyone deserves and needs healthcare. Many 9/11 responders cannot work and thus in this great land do not have access to free healthcare. It’s time to do more than be patriotic, it is time to use that patriotism to help those who sacrificed their health and their psyche that day to save as many people as they could.
The best way to memorialize anyone is to develop a living legacy. Help those who lived while remembering the dead. The best memorial is to use the energy to help those of us still alive. While remembering, save just a tiny bit of it to remember the 37,000 other victims of 9/11 (who suffered life long illnesses). Also the 4,424 soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who have died in the war on terror) and the countless numbers of permanently injured both physically and mentally.
Enough ranting, do better on your health and help others achieve good health. Sometimes you have to open the pocketbook for things other than a wall or war. Be well today and remember everyone…