June 14 2013 Fri BDE.pdf - Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Fort Hamilton Dedicates Bluff to Fallen SoldierBy Paula KatinasBrooklyn EagleAt Brooklyn’s Fort HamiltonArmy Base, there is abluff on the waterfront thatoffers a breathtaking viewof the Narrows and the Verrazano-NarrowsBridge. Startingthis past Thursday, thatbucolic space will foreverbe known as EngeldrumBluff in memory of ChristianEngeldrum, a firefighter-turned-soldierkilled in theIraq War.Engeldrum, 39, a staff sergeantin the 69th InfantryRegiment of the New YorkArmy National Guard, waskilled when his vehicle hit animprovised explosive device(IED) while he was on dutyoutside of Baghdad on Nov.29, 2004.Before his tour of duty inIraq, Engeldrum, who hailedfrom the Bronx, was a NewYork City firefighter assignedto Ladder Co. 61 in his nativeborough. He was a first responderat the World TradeCenter site following theSept. 11 attack, assisting in therecovery effort. He is buried atArlington National Cemetery.On Thursday, soldiers,firefighters, community leaders,Engeldrum’s wife Sharon,his mother Lenora and membersof his family gathered atthe fort for a ceremony dedicatingthe bluff in his name.The fort’s commander,Col. Eluyn Gines, had originallyplanned to hold theceremony on the bluff, but arainstorm forced a change ofvenue and the event was heldinside the fort’s Post Theater.The change gave the ceremonya much more intimate feelthat it might have had if it hadtaken place outside.A large photo showingthe plaque bearing Engeldrum’sname was unveiledon the theater’s stage duringthe ceremony.Gines called Engeldrum“an American hero,” and saidit was fitting that the ceremonywas taking place during aweek when the nation wascelebrating the 238th birthdayof the US Army and whenthe fort is marking its 188thbirthday. “It is a week of celebrationbut also of remembrance,”Gines said, addingthat it is important to recallthe lives lost in war and theloved ones they left behind.“Every life lost is a tragedy.There’s really no preparationfor it. It’s a pain that ripsthrough your soul,” he said.Gines announced thatin addition to the bluff dedication,the fort was also reservingfour permanent parkingspaces on the base for thefamilies of military memberskilled in war.New York City Fire CommissionerSalvatore Cassano,who noted that Engeldrumhad saved lives as afirefighter, said that he was“a true hero in every senseof the word.” After the Sept.11 attack, Engeldrum “rushedto the World Trade Center torescue thousands.” The firstresponders, Cassano said,were “among the first in thebattle against terrorism.”The firehouse where Engeldrumworked containsa plaque dedicated in hismemory. There is also a Veteransof Foreign Wars (VFW)post named after him, Cassanosaid. The fort dedicationis meaningful, the commissionersaid. “With this ceremony,Christian will foreverbecome a part of Fort Hamilton,”he said.The 69th Infantry Regiment,the unit Engeldrum belongedto, is known as the“Fighting 69th.” Lt. Col. JamesGonyo, commander of theregiment, recalled that Engeldrum’scolleagues called him“Chris,” or by his nickname,“Drum.” Gonyo said that visitingthe bluff “will allow us topause and remember; to goand remember and shed a tear.”Engeldrum Bluff will also givemilitary members a chance to“find the courage to go on withour lives,” Gonyo said.Gonyo read aloud theJoyce Kilmer poem “RougeBouquet,” about soldiersfrom the Fighting 69thkilled in a World War I battle.The poem included thelines, “Dead in their youthfulprime, never to laugh norThis portrait of Christian Engeldrum, firefighter and soldier who died in the Iraq War, was displayed atThursday’s ceremony at Fort Hamilton.Eagle photo by Paula Katinaslove again, nor taste the summertime.”Of all the speakers, the personwho received the mostsustained applause was theperson who spoke only a fewsentences. Engeldrum’s widow,Sharon, thanked all thosetaking part in the ceremony. “Ithank you for the great honor,”she said. She left the stage to astanding ovation.Following the ceremony,Lenora Engeldrum saidthe event made her happy.“It’s great to know that Chrisis being remembered,” shetold the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.She described her son as“an action man” and said hesigned up for the NationalGuard following the Sept. 11attacks. “He was outraged bywhat happened on 9/11,” sherecalled. Her son always hada sense of fairness and wouldbecome upset if he sawsomething unfair, she said.She wasn’t surprisedwhen Chris served in boththe military and the Fire Department.“That he was a littleboy, he was always playingwith a G.I. Joe. And hehad firetrucks, too,” she saidwith a smile.Thompson in Coney: CityMust Prepare for DisastersBy Paula KatinasBrooklyn EagleThe city needs to do abetter job of preparing andresponding to natural disasters,former Comptroller BillThompson said after takinga tour of areas of Coney Islanddamaged by SuperstormSandy.During a visit to a ConeyIsland senior center on June13, Thompson, one of the sixcandidates running in theDemocratic Party primaryfor mayor in September, outlineda series of steps he saidwould help prepare the cityfor the next natural disasteror terrorist attack.Thompson said that if heis elected mayor, he wouldcreate a new post of deputymayor for infrastructure andconstruction. The deputymayor would be in charge ofconverting billions of dollarsin post-Sandy federal aid intolong-term city planning toupgrade power, sewage andtelecommunication systems.“We must plan — andact — today to prepare fortomorrow,” Thompson said.“We cannot secure New York’spromise of opportunity ifsome families and communitiesare left fending for themselveswhen disaster strikes.”“When I’m mayor, communitiesin southeast Queens,Mayoral hopeful and former Comptroller Bill Thompson tours theSea Gate area with a community leader. Photo courtesy of Thompson campaignthe South Shore, City Islandand southern Brooklyn willreceive the same resources ascorporations on Wall Street orbusinesses on Fifth Avenue,”the candidate said.Under the plan, the citywould elevate substations,reposition emergency generatorsin buildings, andwork to make sure there areenough back-up generatorsin the city. Thompson calledfor the building and expansionof sand dunes and thestabilization of sand dunesand beach shrubs along theRockaways, in Jamaica Bayand in waterfront areas.His disaster preparednessplan includes the creationof a new emergency call systemthat would automaticallyroute fire and life-threateningcalls to local dispatchersin each borough, a move thatThompson said would savetime and lives. The calls wouldbypass the city’s Unified CallTaker System.Recalling the gasolineshortage that hit New Yorkersin the wake of Sandy, andthe long lines at gas stations,Thompson called for a temporarysuspension of maritimelaws that block bargesfrom delivering fuel to thecity. The plan would deliverlarger quantities of fuel tothe hardest-hit communities,remove trucks from alreadystrained roads, and help preventthe long gasoline linesexperienced after the hurricanehit, he said.Thompson said he wouldlaunch a new “Bringing BusinessesBack” initiative to assistsmall businesses withinsurance, planning, and resourcesbefore, during, andafter disasters. His plan alsoincludes using federal stimulusto lower the cost of renters’insurance for residentswho live in New York CityHousing Authority buildings,especially senior citizens andfamilies on fixed incomes livingin evacuation zones.Thompson also called forincreased support for families,small businesses andcommunities still reelingfrom Hurricane Sandy.Flood Watch Issued forBrooklyn and VicinityBy Mary FrostBrooklyn EagleThe National WeatherService issued a floodwatch through Friday eveningfor Brooklyn and therest of the city’s five boroughs,as a powerful stormcontinued along a pathtaking it from the OhioValley to south and east ofLong Island.This system is expectedto produce high windsand heavy rain, with rainfalltotals ranging from 2to 3 inches, and in someareas up to 4 inches.The watch is in effectthrough Friday evening.Early Thursday morning,winds estimated toA flood watch is in effect forBrooklyn and the GreaterNew York York area throughFriday evening.have reached 70 to 80 mphblew through some areassouth of Chicago fromthe same weather pattern.The storm briefly suspendedcompetition at the U.S.Open near Philadelphia onThursday morning.Friday, June 14, 2013 • Brooklyn Eagle • 3