The Perfect Tribute

Kids,

OK, so here goes...

There's a lot of territory to cover, so bear with me;
it all works out in the end.

As most of you are no doubt aware,
when a seed is placed in the ground
with the proper Love and Attention
it will one day grow into a mighty Oak.

Assuming of course you planted an Oak Tree.

Such is the case with this project...

It is constantly growing, sometimes faster than others,
but always taller, broader and more magnificent.

My job is to keep up,
which is an adventure in and of itself.

In any event,
the main goal of
"The Lincoln Highway Comes of Age"
"A Nationwide Millennium Project"
has always been to firmly establish
The Lincoln Highway as
The Greatest Memorial in the World.

As such, it must be all encompasing in nature and not limited in any way.

As originally concieved under The White House Millennium Council,
the project was dedicated primarily to The Lincoln Highway
with the time line running from 1999 thru 2004.

But, as things evolved and with the added element of the Lincoln
Bicentennial Celebration it becomes obvious the real cycle
is from 2003 thru 2009 and must be expanded
to include additional Lincoln Elements.

Enter, The Perfect Tribute...
which comes from a book by the same name
about Mr. Lincoln and The Gettysburg Address.

But why, The Perfect Tribute??

Well, the more I worked on the project,
the more I found myself saying,
"It's Perfect".

Enough said..

And while there are seemingly a thousand different themes
going here and there, they are all aspects of the whole.

Enter phase two...
The Great Funeral Cortege - The Lincoln Funeral Train Route.

For those of you who don't know,
The Lincoln Funeral is by all standards,
The Greatest Funeral in the History of the United States.

And just by coincidence, Mr. Lincoln passed through Galion, Ohio
April 29, 1865 on his way from Washington to Springfield and his
final resting place.

Interesting fact perhaps, but how does it fit into the puzzle?

Why "The Day Mr. Lincoln Came to Town" of course.

One day while working with The White House Millennium Council
on Millennium Trial designation for The Lincoln Highway,
the idea came to seek an additional designation for
The Great Funeral Cortage.

The idea being to establish the Lincoln Funeral Route
as a Historic Trail and set the foundation
for a possible reenactment of
The Greatest Funeral in History of the United States
for the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009.

A pretty tall order indeed, but if you're going to do it
what better time? It's either 2009 or 2065 and since most
of us won't be here in 2065 it seems only natural.

The Lincoln Highway National Museum & Archives
is the largest sponor of
White House Millennium Trail Communities in the Nation.

Click here to view
The White House Millennium Trail Certificates
and a listing of participating towns as well as a complete listing
of all 450 plus Lincoln Funeral Train Communities.

Even so, it would no doubt be fairly expensive...

An understatement I'm sure, but what could we do to help cover the cost?

Why a movie of course...

Enter Steven Spielberg, director
of "Schindler's List" and
"The Unfinished Journey"
a 20 minute short on
America and Mr. Lincoln
at the Millennium Celebration
in front of The Lincoln Memorial.

Let's leave it at that for now and come back later.

Enter phase three...
September 11th.

What can you say???

I was at the Fire House in in Goshen, Indiana at the time.

That's my unmaid bunk next to the Fire Pole.

I like most people, were in shock for the better part of the day,
make that a week, make that still in shock.

In any event, I took the day off to reflect
on my Journey and should I even continue.

I thought of the time I sat in the Times Square Brewery
wondering if I should attempt such a trip, and the Fire Engine
that gave me inspiration as it drove by at that exact moment.

I though of those I'd met at Rescue One and Chief Downey,
whom I'd talked to about my Journey.

I thought of the Epson Printer
I'd sold on Ebay as a fund raiser for the trip
that had been in my garage two months prior
and was now in that massive pile of rubble.

And last, I thought of those on the 106th Floor
at Windows of the World and the Inaugural Plate
and news clippings I'd sent them as a gift.

Were they OK and did they ever take the picture
with the plate and all the staff looking out over the World.

I went to the local hardware store

and bought a length of chain 9 feet 11 inches long
so the flag would fly at half staff.

In addition,
I redisigned the
"Guest Book" as a
"Book of Remembrance"

with the photo of the
"Spirit of the Lincoln Way"

in front of The World Trade Centers
taken last year from
Exchange Plaza in Jersey City.

For some reason, it seemed I was uniquely qualified
to honor the Firemen in a way no one else could.

Certainly there could be only one person determined enough
to carry the American Flag and the Sacred Fire of Liberty
across the Continent in a Open Cab Fire Engine.

That we could be sure of.

Enter phase four...

A Tribute to the Firemen.

As the trip continued,
you couldn't ignore the obvious,
but I didn't want to make hay at
The Firemen's expense.

What could I do that made sense??

While a book to document the Journey was always in the back of my mind,
it seemed quite impracticle, since I haven't
started on the one from three years ago let alone last years trip.

I'd be lucky just to get all the photos up on the web.

But then what about a book called
"The Perfect Tribute"
with the shot of the WTC
on the cover and the photos
of all the Firemen from across the country.

Now that would be cool...or should I say "Perfect".

In addition, President Lincoln was an honorary member
of the Preservation Hose Company in Philadelphia
and Firemen were always present during the 12 Funeral
Processions from Washington to Springfield.

But wait it gets better,
When I left Ohio, I brought along an extra Fire Helmet
for the kids incase they wanted to have their picture taken.

A good idea in principal perhaps, but in reality the helmet
pretty much was new in the box when I reached Cedar Rapids.

Then it hit me, duh.

Why not have all the Fire Chiefs sign it in tribute
to their fallen brothers.

All was going according to plan until I reached Waterloo, Nebraska.

I say Waterloo, because the Chief of Police was kind enough
to give me escort to Valley where something special happened.

When I presented the helmet to the Chief,
there was hardly a spot left to sign.

Suddenly one of the Firemen said,
"We've got an extra helmet..."

Thus began the tradition.

There are over 60 Helmets now,
but only one from Valley, Nebraska
that says, "First Helmet for FDNY".

So now what's the plan???

Initially, I was going to send the helmets to New York,
but I think the best way is to go to New York,
set up the Truck and raise the Flag at the WTC site.

Then display all the Helmets, Hats, Patches, and Shirts
and present the Firemen with "The First Helmet for FDNY"
and request that Firemen from around the World send a signed Helmet
in Tribute to their fallen Brothers.

The idea is to create a memorial similar to The VietNam Wall
made entirely of signed Fire Helmets.

That way every town and every Fireman can be properly represented.

It will be a sight to see...or should I say, "Perfect".

So, how do I get to New York?

More on that later...

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