Deployed N.Y.P.D. officer dedicates uniform for 9/11 display

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 380th AEW Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  A New York City police officer who is currently deployed in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom added an authentic touch to the wing's Patriot Day ceremony here Thursday.

New Jersey Air National Guard member, Master Sgt. Rose Condello, is in Southwest Asia as the marketing director for the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron.

Airmen from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing wanted to donate a uniform display box to their 9/11 memorial during the seventh anniversary commemoration ceremony. They approached Sergeant Condello after hearing she is a police officer with the 62nd Precinct in Brooklyn

The Airmen, from the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's structures and fire and emergency services flights, built a display case to house a firefighter and N.Y.P.D. uniform.

"Our fire chief, (Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Mohr), asked if we wanted to add a piece to the circle of honor," said Staff Sgt. Mitchell Robinson, 380th CEF battalion chief. "About 10 of us got together from the two different CE flights and came up with this idea."

The display will be added to the 380th AEW Circle of Honor, the wing's Sept. 11 memorial, as a dedication to the fallen firefighters and police who died in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I wanted to get involved to show appreciation and respect for the sacrifices made not only by the military, but also by civilian firefighters and police," said Senior Airman Timothy Lazarus, 380th CEF driver operator.

Once the group was formed and the plan set in motion, some members of the team went to work on the display case while others began to make contact for the contents.

"We relied heavily on Staff Sergeant Matthew Pak and the structures flight for the actual design and construction of the case," Sergeant Robinson said.

The volunteers put their fair share of time and effort into getting just the right items to represent the fallen emergency responders.

"We wanted people to be able to do more than just read the names off the current memorial," Airman Lazarus said. "We wanted them to have more of a visual, like the boots and M-16 we have on display for the military."

The dedication is meant to provide a legacy of solace and respect for those who will deploy here on this and subsequent rotations.

"Since the circle of honor is right outside our fire station, I see all the people who come to pay their respects," Sergeant Robinson said. "There are a lot of people, like Sergeant Condello, who are from (New York). If they get some satisfaction from seeing it, then it's worth it to me."

When the commemoration organizers asked Sergeant Condello if she would like to say a few words at the ceremony, she humbly declined. "My story is not that important," she said. "I'm honored I was asked to contribute."

Sergeant Condello hopes to share photos of the unveiling and the ceremony with her union and precinct when she returns home just days after the event. "My union, the Patrolman's Benevolent Association, will let all the cops know this is out here for them, which is pretty cool."

Between the union and the 62nd Precinct, Sergeant Condello got all the support she needed to fulfill the request from the 380th ECES Airmen.

The complete uniform includes a cap device bearing the badge number "3100." This number was the original telephone exchange for the New York Police Headquarters before it moved to One Police Plaza. It was since used as part of the name for the N.Y.P.D. magazine and has come to symbolize the department.

The badge on the uniform displays Sergeant Condello's badge number along with a traditional mourning band. "It means a lot to me to have my badge number in that display," She said. "To me, it says I had a part in this, I am leaving a part here ... the circle of honor will be changed forever."

As the marketing director for the wing, Sergeant Condello occasionally brings tours to the memorial, "It was nice this last tour because the fire department guys who brief that portion of the tour told the group about the display we've been working on. They tell folks that it's my badge number there. I know the story will keep going ..."

To balance the police officer's uniform, Staff Sgt. Brian Tonnancour took the extra steps to ensure the other uniform in the display reflected the proper gear firefighters wore at ground zero.

The donated firefighter uniform is authentic structural gear donated from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, per a request from Sergeant Tonnancour, 380th CEF assistant chief of fire prevention.

"It's a part of the firefighter heritage to help others; if our small part helps out, then I'm happy," Sergeant Robinson said.

Between the deployed Airmen here, the Airmen at Mountain Home AFB, the police officers at the 62nd Precinct and the PBA representatives, efforts spanned oceans and continents to ensure members of the 380th AEW can pay their respects to the many firefighters and police officers who perished on Sept. 11.

Sergeant Condello's deployment is coming to a close. She will return to her home in Staten Island, N.Y. and her guard unit, the 108th Air Refueling Wing, at McGuire AFB, N.J. She will drive the Verrazano Bridge to work every day as she makes her way into Brooklyn with the city's skyline to her left. Perhaps her efforts here will help mend the view.

"I went over the Verrazano Bridge all by myself that day. They shut the whole city down and every cop had to go to work. You had to go through security to cross the bridge; only one person could go across at a time in case terrorists would attack the bridges. I was the only one on that bridge - the only vehicle. That's when I lost it, actually. When you're coming over the bridge the city is off to your left. I'd look at it every day on my way to work, but now I can't even look at it because the Twin Towers aren't there - but that's when I lost it, when I saw everything engulfed in flames and just ... terrible," Master Sgt. Rose Condello.