Do Not Be Sad - A Chronicle of Healing Book

At 8:47 am on September 11th, 2001, the first alarm sounded and twenty-four firemen from Engine 24 Ladder 5 left the station. Eleven never returned. The weight of the tragedy seemed unfathomable. And yet it was being experienced at firehouses all over New York City.

Within hours, Mayor Giuliani set up a makeshift headquarters at Engine 24 Ladder 5, just blocks from where the tragedy began. The station was quickly becoming a pivotal symbol for what the entire city was going through.

In the days, weeks and months that followed, hundreds of letters from children across the country poured into Engine 24 Ladder 5. They expressed their love, appreciation and support. They reflect what many of us are feeling; A shared loss, a shared grief, a shared resilience and pride in New York and in our country. It is a sentiment so strong that these children felt the need to reach out to people they had never met.

The children of America sent the letters here to Engine 24 Ladder 5 - but they were meant for all New York City firefighters. In the midst of grief, pain and confusion, their innocence, love and hope supply much-needed inspiration and offer tribute to a group of true American heroes.