(Contact us or add your own comments at the bottom of the
page)
Last updated March 11, 2008
--------------------------------------------
Star Ledger - Letters to the Editor
Posted July 15, 2007
Dear Editor:
I was saddened by
the context in which the second article by Brad Parks
from the special series Crossroads places the deaths of
Newark Fire Captain
Michael Moran and Newark
Police Detective Fred Toto. The reader is asked to
consider that their deaths were not caused by murdering
snipers but by
friendly fire as a result of over aggressive police actions
or frightened national
guardsmen. Are Moran and Toto any less worthy of being on
the side of good?
Were they not good guys? Or are they just stereo typed in
the article to make a
point? These two fine men reported for duty on the day of
their deaths knowing
full well what they were facing. For years prior to that
summer both men acted
as they did the night they died. They showed up for duty
offering their lives to
the people of Newark.
Now, 40 years later to have them listed on some score
sheet to help justify someone's opinion about how they died
is a sad statement
about what we have learned from the riot.
John B. Sandella
Verona, NJ
The writer is president of Newark
Fire Officers Union Local 1860
John,
Did they actually
print your letter? They didn't print the
one I wrote ten
years ago when they neglected to even mention Mike Moran was
killed during the
riots. Anyone who
showed up for work those nights was a hero.
Neal
Neal, Congratulations on the Book and the web site. Forty years later, the rest of the world will
finally know what our guys did. I will be sending in for a copy. This is an important documentary of our
department. The historical value, to not only the general public but to our
brothers and their families is priceless. Thanks Neal.
If you get a chance, watch Point of View tomorrow (7/10) at
10 - 11:30
pm. on Channel 13 PBS.
The show is a look at the Newark
riots. I don't know if they
even mention the fire department, but it should be
interesting. I cover the FD
end of it in a book based on company journals and
interviews. Send me
an e-mail if you're interested.
I understand that the PBS film makes a hero out of
that bum,
Tom Hayden. In all that I have read in the Ledger no mention
is made of
the outstanding work of the fire guys and the abuse we took
during
those dark days. They all seem to discount the sniper fire.
I know that
the National Guard did a lot of unnecessary shooting, but
LIFE magazine
ran an exclusive interview with people who identified
themselves as
snipers. Also we recorded several instances of fire houses
being taken
under fire including Six Engine when I was there as Fourth Battalion
Chief. Oh well, there is a tendency to rewrite history.
Take
care,
Ed Wall
Chief,
I attended a discussion of the book "No Cause for
Indictment" at the New Jersey Historical Society for the sole purpose of
pointing out to the panelists that the NFD was actually around during the
riots. Not only that, but if they hadn't
been there would have been no city to rebuild because you guys wouldn't have
put out the fires. The room gave you a
round of applause for all your hard work.
I watched it last night. You’re right they neglected to
mention the Fire
Dept. but it doesn’t surprise me, they had their own agenda
and let a
Communist, Tom Haden do most of the talking. I was there
from beginning to end and he was the match that lit the fire, and then his
disappeared into the woodwork. I
want your book, just let me know the details of price and
how to order.
The book bought back a lot of memories for me, especially when we were all
recalled back to work. I spent that night on the corner of 15th and Bergen with 4 truck, an Irvington engine, and 15's hose wagon working
a deluge set into a group of stores at that corner. Stayed till relieved at 9am
so I and other 3rd tour guys could go home and get some sleep as we were due in
at 6pm for our regular tour. Then the fun really began.
Great job in research and reporting the "RIOT." I was driving
Chief of the Department Joe Redden during the "RIOT". We
stopped at Engine 6 for a cup of coffee with the guys about 1 A.M that
Saturday. As we exited the gig we heard the sound of something hitting the
ground. From the shadows of Engine 6 someone yelled to get out of
there. It was then we noticed the flash of gunfire coming from windows in
the project across the street. We got out of there in a hurry. What happened
next is another story for your next great book.
Great job on this site and your books. Were it not for you, the legacy of our
department would be lost. Much has changed since the riots except for the
dedication of our members. Your books should be required reading for all new
recruits.
I am not a Newark F/F, but Springfield and Hunterdon has a very special place in my heart, I
became a Millburn F/F in 1962 and after a few months on the job I began to wonder just what this job (fire fighting)
was all about. Then I heard about the Newark
fire department allowing out of town firefighters to ride out with them. I decided to give it a try. As luck would have it in April of 1963 I
walked into the firehouse on Springfield
and Hunterdon. 6 Engine, tour 1 was working.
I met Captain Fred Grehl and his crew, firefighters Fred Walters, Paul Hauser, Gary Conlan, and George Feeley. Well, from l963 until 1967 I would spend as
much of my free time (as my wife would permit) there. After awhile I would ride with 5 Truck (Capt.
Dan McCoy) and Rescue 1 (Capt Jim Morgan), but after a few weeks I would be
back at Springfield
and Hunterdon. Captain Grehl (later to
be Deputy Chief) really took me by the arm into my first fire, a cockloft fire
on Camden Street,
where I got to use the Burrell mask. Along the way he encouraged me to "get
into the books" which I did.
Because of him I retired from the Millburn Department after 25 year of
service as Chief of Department. So
Engine 6 and the members of tour 1 will always have a special place in my heart.
Chief Lawrence Zazzera (retired) Millburn Fire Department
Neal,
After reading "A View from the Firehouse" for the third time since I
received it a week ago, I must thank you for this special book, a book
which will keep alive the personal experiences that the Newark
firefighters went through during that dark time. It is also the story
of the Newark Fire Department at its finest hours (days). It is a book
that every firefighter, not just in Newark but throughout the state,
should read. When they do I believe they will take a moment and give a
tip of their hat and say "What an outstanding job those firefighters
did under unbelievable conditions." I do hope you have the time and
energy to do a second book on the Department and the Riots. I know I
will be looking forward to it. Thanks again for all your hard work on
this important part of Newark history. Stay well
Chief Larry Zazzera
-------------------------------------------------
Neal,
What can I say?? It's a GREAT book!! (A View from the Firehouse: The Newark Riots) It really tells a story that's gone untold
for 40 years, I loved it! I read it all in one day!! I couldn't put it down!!
By the way, I gave you a review and some free advertising.
I was ECSTATIC when I opened the package and saw your new book, Becoming a Firefighter. Later that
night, and the next, were spent reading it from cover-to-cover. I loved it!! I
found it neither boring, or confusing. As I read each page my own memories came
flooding back to me about areas of the city, the department, the guys I knew,
and my own experiences.
