THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, April 5, 1996                  TAG: 9604050004
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   47 lines

AMERICA'S BRAVEST WERE FELLED BY CHESAPEAKE FIRE

I very sincere thanks is in order to Hampton Roads citizens for their overwhelming support of the local fire-service community in the aftermath of the recent tragic fire in Chesapeake.

Killed in the line of duty were Frank E. Young and John R. Hudgins Jr. These two incredibly brave men laid down their lives protecting the public from harm.

That day, March 18, 1996, will never be erased from the minds of those involved in fighting that fire, in addition to those touched deeply by this catastrophe within the area's firefighting ranks.

Those who make a living from this job, the most-dangerous peacetime occupation in the world, are reeling from this senseless tragedy and will most likely never be the same.

Those who were served by these two courageous firefighters will never be as well-protected again. The two were among this area's elite group of firefighters, seasoned veterans who knew their job extensively. Their deaths were not caused by inexperience, overaggressiveness or ignorance of fire behavior. They died because of someone else's unintentional error, lightweight building construction and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

All too often the sacrifices firefighters make are quickly overlooked by the public. The men and women who risk their lives every day for our benefit do so unselfishly and sometimes without regard to their own safety and well-being. They walk among us with scars, burns and other serious injuries from fighting fires in buildings that they don't own and from rescuing people that they don't know.

They battle an enemy unseen yet ever-present, one that hurts and kills those who are sworn to protect us. This foe is unyielding and unforgiving. Firefighters are the only ones who can enter and defeat it on its own turf. They are among the most dedicated professionals on Earth. They are, without question, America's bravest.

CURTIS S. D. MASSEY

Virginia Beach, March 28, 1996

Editor's note: Mr. Massey, a businessman, is a former Chesapeake Fire Department Ladder 2 fire officer. by CNB