Tommy

A loving father, fiancé, son, brother...
A devoted fireman
following in the footsteps of his father.
His family could not be prouder.
Tommy entered a house
and paid the ultimate price,
hoping to save a young life.
Although he perished,
his memory will be cherished
by those who loved him.
In his young son,
he will live on.
Forever missed,
always loved,
never forgotten.
GCFD,
forever he will be.

I'll always miss you Tommy.  Love, Slugger


  On July 4, 2002, tragedy struck the small town of Gloucester City, New Jersey. A house fire killed three little girls and three brave firemen. I had the privilege of knowing Tommy Stewart, one of those firemen. This poem is a tribute to him and his wonderful family. This is for Tommy, Jim Sylvester, John West, the Gloucester City Fire Department (GCFD) and Mt. Ephraim Fire Department (MEFD) and all those who responded to the call on that fateful night, as well as all the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day.  Thank you for showing me what a hero is.

The Discovery Channel recently did a piece on this fire to use for training firefighters.  It's a good piece (even though parts of it are inaccurate, i.e., misspelled/incorrectly pronounced names & places).  It was extremely difficult (emotionally) for me to watch.  I hope it can help save lives so that no other community is rocked but such a devastating tragedy.  Here is a link to it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=str0Grno6oQ.

This poem was published in an anthology in 2002.

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1st Place winner in "A Poem A Day Contest "  on 11/27/2011.