Eight-year-old Allison wished for a cruise that she could share with her parents and three siblings who help her stay strong in her battle with leukemia. What she got was a voyage to paradise aboard the Carnival Freedom with many extra special stops along the way.

Allison took full advantage of each port starting with her bus tour of Old San Juan, where she saw beautiful cathedrals and architecture. In St. Thomas, she boarded the Skyride to Paradise Point 700 feet above sea level to catch some panoramic views of the harbor and lots of cruise ships.

In Antigua, Allison and her family headed to Runaway Beach for some fun in the sun – swimming, watching crabs and just digging their toes in the soft sand. Tortola offered Allison and her family more breathtaking views during their tour of the island. Lastly, Allison headed to the Bahamas for a day at the Atlantis Resort.

When she wasn’t island hopping, Allison was enjoying VIP perks on the ship. From a “Bon Voyage” party to milk and cookies in her cabin nightly and the discovery of different towel animals on her bed each day (she liked the orangutan the best), it was an adventure like no other!

Referred by: her mother
Wish Granters: Yenisse Alonso & Richard Kelly
Sponsored by: Lennar Corporation

Source: Make A Wish Foundation

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer Glen K. Pettit
Shield 3815
Police Academy Video Production Unit
12/09/2001

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 14, 2009

Police Officer Glen K. Pettit
Shield 3815
Police Academy Video Production Unit
(recovered)

Glen Pettit took on a lot and never let it slow him down. In addition to being a New York City police officer, he was a TV news cameraman, a freelance photographer, a volunteer fireman and a devotee of Irish tradition and music.

Then there was the endless flood of gifts: from care packages of Skippy peanut butter for friends in East Asia to the prized seat he arranged for his mother at a Christmas Eve mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, just a row from the mayor and police commissioner. “If he loved you he loved you completely, and he was going to take care of you,” recalled Tara Felice, one of his six siblings.

Officer Pettit, 30, had joined the department’s video production unit, which makes training and promotional videos. “His greatest love was being behind a camera, composing a shot,” said his partner, Officer Scott Nicholson. The video unit responded to the World Trade Center attack hoping to get footage for an annual promotional tape it makes called “Heroes.”

“Glen was telling us, ‘I’m gonna get in close; you stay and get the establishing shots, get the rescue workers responding,’ ” Officer Nicholson recalled. “I looked over and Glen was running past me, camera in hand, heading toward the towers.”

- The New York Times 12/09/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Natalie Tanner
1 year old

Diagnosis:

Natalie was found to suffer from medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor.

Natalie’s Story:

On Mother’s Day 2007, Natalie’s mom noticed that her daughter, who had been such a happy, active baby since she was born three months earlier, could not lift her eyes upward. Natalie’s parents knew something wasn’t right. The next morning, Natalie’s mom took her little girl to the pediatrician. Just 24 hours later, Natalie was in the local hospital, diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare and deadly brain tumor.

The doctor told the family that medulloblastoma in infants is virtually untreatable. Radiation, effective at fighting the cancer, would be too toxic for litte Natalie’s developing brain. Local doctors performed surgery to remove 95 percent of the apricot-sized tumor. But it was up to Natalie’s parents to find a place for her continuing care.

The couple searched desperately for answers, and they were encouraged by the ground-breaking research being done at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Natalie’s mom contacted a St. Jude oncologist and asked him to level with her: With such grim odds, was it even worth it to make the cross-country trip to begin treatment at St. Jude?

“Natalie could be the first one to survive,” he told her.

With that one sentence, the family’s decision to come to St. Jude was made. “That was the type of person I wanted caring for and treating my daughter,” explained Kristen.

At St. Jude:

At St. Jude, the family was overwhelmed with all that was provided for them, from Natalie’s medical care to the free housing and meal cards. “The nurses, the doctors, the staff just took us in,” said Natalie’s mom. “They provided for all our needs, emotionally and physically.”

Natalie received months of chemotherapy, but a scan indicated the cancer had spread to her spine. In September, the Tanners put their daughter on hospice care and treasured the time they had left with their precious girl.

Then something amazing happened. Natalie came back to St. Jude for a follow-up scan that showed the cancer was shrinking. Natalie’s doctor said that her turnaround was like nothing he’d ever seen before. Natalie resumed her chemotherapy so that hopefully, the cancer would stay away for good.

Natalie is back home now and thriving. She loves talking, crawling and playing with her older brother.

As strange as it sounds, Natalie’s mom says she’s grateful for all that they’ve experienced. “St. Jude wants their families to have a lot of hope, and to be in a frame of mind where you think good things can happen,” she said.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: St. Jude

Editor’s Note:
Home State: South Dakota
Awarded: Bronze Star

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Then-1st Lt. Arends and his team of 30 soldiers operated in and around Baghdad from February 2004 to April 2005. They were responsible for catching a number of terrorists, including one carrying bomb-making materials, jidhadist propaganda and large sums of cash. The terrorist claimed to be a professor at a major university in the United States. They also captured one of Saddam Hussein’s personal bodyguards. Another time, Arends’ team rescued Iraqi civilians from burning vehicles when insurgents attacked a checkpoint near their patrol area. Members of the team rushed into the flames and pulled several Iraqi civilians out of burning vehicles and administered lifesaving medical treatment. For his efforts, Arends was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in March 2005. Arends is now a Captain in the Army Reserve.

Source: Our Military

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 12, 2009

Someone To Brag About

Joseph Marchbanks Jr. was a Battalion Chief in a Harlem firehouse, but he preferred to be called a firefighter. A 22-year veteran, Chief Marchbanks garnered four promotions by the time he died at age 47, but “he wasn’t one to brag,” said his wife, Teresa.

Still, Chief Marchbanks had a lot to brag about.

A Bronx native, he qualified for the police force and the fire department in the same week, chose the latter, never looked back.

“He loved his job,” said his friend (and stickball teammate) Frank McDonagh.

Chief Marchbanks was justifiably proud of his daughter Lauren’s softball team, which he helped coach to a championship in Nanuet, N.Y., where the former city boy lived with his wife and children, Lauren, 14, and Ryan, 8).

At the firehouse, he organized study groups to help others pass tests for promotions. “He taught without you realizing you were learning,” said his friend and colleague, Lieutenant Kevin Guy.

Now Lieutenant Guy would like to do the bragging for him, more than willing to relate more stories about his friend.

“Anything for Joe, anything,” he said.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 10, 2001.

Source: Legacy

Editor’ Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Make A Wish Foundation

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

By St. Jude

Victoria Caileanu
4 years old

Diagnosis:

Victoria was found to suffer from Burkitt lymphoma in August 2008.

Victoria’s Story:

When little Victoria lost a drastic amount of weight—10 pounds in less than two weeks—her mother, Mariya, was terribly worried. Victoria’s skin began to turn yellow and she complained her stomach hurt. Mariya rushed her daughter to a doctor, and tests revealed devastating news: Victoria had a tumor in her abdomen.

Mariya was shocked to learn her little girl had cancer. “I almost had a heart attack,” she remembered. “My heart was hurting really bad.” The doctor advised that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital offered the best treatment and care for pediatric cancer and provided a referral. The hospital was 300 miles away, but if they drove all night, she could be there by morning.

At St. Jude:

Victoria quickly began receiving chemotherapy to destroy the enormous mass. Today, tests indicate that there are no more tumor cells in her body.

Victoria is home again—and back to her happy self. She likes to run, wrestle with her siblings, pose for pictures and swing on the swing set. She also loves coloring and puzzles. Now that Victoria is feeling better, the family is eager to give back. “St. Jude helped us so much, and we paid nothing,” said Mariya. “For a family without a big income, a hospital like this is really important.”

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: St. Jude

Editor’s Note:
Home State: Albuquerque, NM
Awarded: Silver Star

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Army Sgt. 1st Class James Brasher’s “daring acts of intrepidity and gallantry in the face of a numerically superior and determined force,” have earned him a Silver Star according to the citation that accompanied the medal.

Those courageous acts occurred on Dec. 8, 2007, when Brasher was serving as platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The company had been tasked to participate in Operation Mar Kararadad, during which Brasher repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to keep his soldiers out of danger.

The multinational mission to clear insurgents from the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qal’eh, actually began the night before when the company landed by helicopter just outside of the city. Under cover of darkness the soldiers moved to occupy a hill overlooking the city.

At dawn, Company A started taking small-arms and heavy machine-gun fire from a small town at the base of the hill. Brasher and the 2nd Platoon leader decided the town, which was isolated from the rest of Musa Qal’eh by a dry riverbed and already scheduled to be cleared by the Platoon, should be cleared immediately.

As the soldiers began systematically clearing buildings, a Taliban fighter attempted to the lead squad, which included Brasher. He killed the gunman before he could kill or injure any Paratroopers.

The squad began taking small-arms as it advanced to the next compound. Again, Brasher reacted, throwing fragmentation grenades toward the enemy position, thereby suppressing the attack and preventing the enemy from getting a fix on the soldiers’ position.

When the platoon leader’s element was attacked with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled-grenades, Brasher joined the group to pinpoint the enemy position, once again exposing himself to enemy fire.

Brasher then led a squad to clear a compound that put him and his soldiers in a better position to return fire. As he was directing the Paratroopers, he spotted a Taliban fighter with a machine gun and opened fire. He then led his squad over a mud wall in pursuit of the fleeing insurgent, killing two more gunmen as the squad rounded the corner. When the squad encountered a larger enemy force more insurgents were killed.

As the Taliban forces consolidated into a highly defensible compound with thick walls, Brasher spotted the enemy positions inside and began engaging them. That’s when one of the insurgent’s bullets tore through his right forearm and bicep, which slowed him down, but didn’t stop him from fighting and giving instructions, according to the citation. In fact, the unit’s medics had to force him to submit to medical care.

“SFC Brasher’s fearless actions and dedication to mission accomplishment enabled Second Platoon to destroy over 20 well-trained Taliban fighters. His quick decisions and aggressive stance against the enemy saved the lives of his men,” the citation reads.

For his gallantry in action with marked distinction, Army Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Scarparrotti, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division presented Brasher with a Silver Star on October 9. The ceremony was held at the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Source: Our Military

 
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer John W. Perry
Shield 3266
40 Precinct
(recovered)
2/7/2002

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 5, 2009

Police Officer John W. Perry
Shield 3266
40 Precinct
(recovered)

John Perry knew he had only one life to live, and so he immersed himself in many.

He was a New York City police officer, a lawyer, an actor, a linguist, an active libertarian, a social worker helping abused children, a philosopher searching for his religion, and a softhearted soul who opened his wallet and his home to near strangers.

“He was the kind of person who enjoyed life,” said his mother, Patricia Perry of Seaford. “He was a libertarian who thought some rules weren’t necessary. Whatever he believed in, he followed.”

Perry, 38, was last seen helping a woman out of a trade center tower when it collapsed on Sept. 11. His original mission that morning had been to turn in his badge, file his retirement papers and embark on a new career. Instead, he retrieved the badge and rushed off with fellow officers to help evacuate people from the towers.

“Apparently John was too slow carrying this woman,” said Arnold Wachtel, Perry’s close friend. “But knowing John, he would never leave that lady unattended. That was just like him to help people.”

Perry’s generosity was boundless. His two-bedroom apartment in a public housing complex near Lincoln Center was known as a free bed and breakfast. Vladimir Azbel, a longtime friend, said he once called Perry because he had $1,700 in parking tickets. “He said, ‘Yeah, don’t worry. Just don’t get anymore tickets,’” Azbel said. “Later on I found out that he just paid them.”

Perry was diagnosed with a learning disability in the first grade and only learned to tie his shoes and read by the age of 9. But he overcame those difficulties. His love affair with learning foreign languages was sparked in the eighth grade when he began studying French.

He was outgoing, unafraid to approach a native speaker and attempt to speak the language, said his mother. The list of languages he spoke included Spanish, Swedish, Russian and Portuguese.

Perry studied law at New York University Law School, practiced immigration law with a friend after graduating and then went to the police academy. Eventually, he took a position investigating and disciplining police officers’ minor infractions.

In his spare time, Perry took parts as an extra in movies and TV shows such as “NYPD Blue.” He volunteered as an investigator for the Kings County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He also was a board member of the Nassau Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

“At board meetings … he sort of out libertarianed us,” executive director Barbara Bernstein said. “If someone thought it wasn’t the right timing or [a case] wasn’t winnable, he was an idealist. He made us justify what we were doing.”

Perry also had explored many religions, attending various services and reading about each extensively. He was converting to Judaism and often attended the Actors Temple in midtown Manhattan, where Rabbi Noach Valley talked about Perry for his Rosh Hashanah sermon days after the tragedy. “He was never bored, because his life was brim-full of holy service to others,” Noach told his congregations. “Here was a onetime atheist living a life of kedushah, of closeness to God.”

- New York Newsday Victim Database 2/7/2002

Source: NYP Angels

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 3, 2009

Granddaddy’s Trains.

Last year at Christmastime, Deputy Chief Charles L. Kasper of the Fire Department’s Special Operations Command went out and bought a set of trains.

They were not for his 425-person division, which races to the scene whenever there is a major catastrophe and already owns a huge collection of red-painted fire trucks, fireboats and other exciting toys for grown-ups. No, they were for his grandson, but when the chief linked the track pieces into a circle and sent the locomotive huffing and whistling around it, Dylan, then only 7 months old, was too young to appreciate the spectacle.

Never mind, thought Chief Kasper. There’s always next year.

On Sept. 11, the 54-year-old veteran of dozens of rescues was having a day off when he heard about the World Trade Center attacks. He scrambled into a spare fire engine parked near his home in Staten Island and sped to the towers. He had a motto: “Drive it like it’s stolen,” recalled Jim Ellson, a retired captain.

Recently Chief Kasper’s wife, Laureen, and their children unpacked the trains, set them up the same way he had and watched while Dylan reacted with delight. “We say that he’s playing with Granddaddy,” who was “always on duty for his family,” Mrs. Kasper said. “And we know that Charlie’s circle will always encircle us.”
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 9, 2001.

KASPER-Charles L. Deputy Chief, F.D.N.Y. Beloved husband of Laureen. Devoted father of Melissa and Mark Friedman, Kara Kasper and Michael. Adoring ”Granddaddy” to Dylan Friedman. A 28 year veteran of the F.D.N.Y. Recently promoted to Deputy Chief. He reported in from his home the morning of the World Trade Center disaster. Chief Kasper arrived at the Command Post prior to the collapse. He was last seen directing Fire Operations in the North Tower. There will be a memorial service in his honor on Friday September 28, 2001 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 1000 Richmond Terrace at Snug Harbor on Staten Island.

Paid notice published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 26, 2001.

Source Legacy

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com