White Firefighters Who Raised Flag at WTC depicted "racially diverse" in New Statue

Newsmax ^ | 1/8/02

[narby]

Racial Changes Made in Ground Zero Firefighter Tribute

It happened more than two weeks ago, but at least one New York City firefighter is still steaming over the politically correct changes made to a sculpted tribute to the firefighter heroes who raised the American flag at Ground Zero just hours after the World Trade Center was leveled on 9/11.

The three flag-raising fireman, as depicted in a widely publicized photograph taken by New Jersey's Bergen Record, were white.

But when a statue commemorating the event was unveiled at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters on Dec. 21, the three white firefighters had been replaced by a more racially diverse trio of unidentified Fire Department staffers.

The $180,000 statue is the first memorial to the 343 firefighters and emergency medical personnel killed Sept. 11, reported Newsday at the time.

The racial modifications came at the behest of Fire Department officials, artists with Studio EIS, located on York Street in the Dumbo section, told the paper.

Our firefighter-reader complained:

"What Firefighters McWilliams, Johnson and Eisengrein did inspired the people of the United States in one of its darkest hours. ... This photograph is as sacred as the famous photograph and sculpture of the U.S. Marines raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. ...

"The 343 firefighters [who] were killed at the WTC (54 of whom I knew personally) consisted of all races and creeds.

"But the fact is that the three firefighters who hoisted the Flag on the afternoon of Sept. 11th at the WTC were white and should be depicted as such."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

[4CJ]

"But the fact is that the three firefighters who hoisted the Flag on the afternoon of Sept. 11th at the WTC were white and should be depicted as such."

I agree. What should they have done - stand around and wait until a racially, ethnically and sexually diverse crowd was in attendance and prepared to hoist the flag?

[wbill]

Do you really want the answer to that question?

[Xenalyte]

It is for this same reason that you will never see a statue of Janet Reno that looks like Janet Reno.

I hope to God I never see a statue of that, lookalike or not.

[4CJ]

;o)

[VaBthang4]

McWilliams, Johnson and Eisengrein

[wbill]

Actually, in the liberal mindset, it's OK to change the staute.

I'm sure that there was a black person, a gay person (how do you indicate sexual orientation in a scuplture?), a woman, etc that INTENDED to do it. And good intentions are all that count.

[goldstategop]

White guys can't be portrayed. They're all Red Zone conservative racist sexist and classist homophobes. Especially your white firefighter fits the type even if he's from New York. That's just how the liberals think about white men: they can do nothing right or good and need to be cut down to size. If they had it their way white men wouldn't exist at all on the planet.

[AMERIKA]

The stuff most people look at and declare to be good art, is declared to be so, largely because the artist had the good sense to pretty up that which was visually flawed.

You mean like Maplethorpe? LOL! Pathetic excuse...

[dpa5923]

And good intentions are all that count.

They (democRATS) really do believe that crap too. Accomplishments don't mean squat, but your intentions, even if never acted upon, regardless of opportunity available, is all that matters.

[JD86]

McWilliams, Johnson and Eisengrein

Thanks! Great Job!!

[1Old Pro]

. I'm amazed that this story has been buried so deep, and no one has noticed till now.

First I've heard of it. I'm not at all surprised though. I'll bet they removed the cigarette from the guy's mouth too.

[DeaconBenjamin]

I guess you could say that quotas have now been set in stone.

[mbb bill]

Cowards blame the whites for action... Nothing new..

[1Old Pro]

I wonder how many women firefighters and policemen were killed at WTC ?

As a percentage, very very small. I think it was 0.

[DeaconBenjamin]

And was he holding his signature cigarette and cigarette holder?

[the]

I don't know what any of you are talking about. I remember that flag raising and it clearly was not three whites raising the flag. One of them was white, maybe, but there was most definitely a black man and an hispanic man raising that flag. Yes, I am sure. That is definitely how I remember it. Absolutely.

By the way, did you happen to catch this afternoon's two-minute-hate?

---

We are at war with East Asia.

We have always been at war with East Asia.

[ko_kyi]

Folks, imagine yourselves 30 years from now explaining to your grandkids one of the following:

1. This is a sculpture made from a photograph of NYFD men raising a flag at the wreckage of the World Trade Center. People immediately thought of the Iwo Jima memorial, another statue made from an important historical photograph.

2. This is a sculpture of 3 imaginary firemen raising a flag at the wreckage of the World Trade Center. Some white people at the time thought that the sculpture would have been insensitive to other races if it were made as it actually happened, although no one asked them to make it any differently. Believe it or not, 30 years ago some considered it worthwhile to change historical facts to make a political point. When you go to history class, be sure to ask your teach how you can trust your textbook if things like this were changed.

[artios]

white people removed from image due to racism and anit-white bigotry

[StrictTime]

...all that, PLUS they booed Hillary off the stage! What an outrage!

[ikanakattara]

Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Oceania has *always* been at war with Eastasia. If you insist that Oceania was really at war with Eurasia yesterday, off you go to Room 101.