A Tree for Every Hero | Buffalo News

Thirty-six hours after 9/11, Brian Dadswell, a Western New York volunteer firefighter, arrived in NYC to help amid a sea of grief and desperate pleas. Years later, while vacationing in Ireland, he was moved to tears by a local fire station’s memorial—344 trees for fallen firefighters, one for chaplain Father Michael Judge, each with handwritten notes of gratitude from survivors. One letter, in particular, struck him: a thank-you from someone saved by a firefighter who didn’t make it home. Standing thousands of miles from ground zero, Dadswell felt the weight of that day’s sacrifice anew. Inspired, he’s now launching a project to gather patches, letters, and messages from Western New York’s first responders to create a “gratitude wall” for Ireland, honoring the global brotherhood of first responders and ensuring no sacrifice goes unremembered. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d3436b389d6e4fa0