Today, our friend John McNamara passed away.

We wanted to thank John for all of the advocacy he did on behalf of the men of the FDNY who are sick with WTC cancer through the NYC Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation, Inc.

It is with great sadness that we wish his widow, son, family and all of his brothers peace at this heart wrenching time.

We know that the Foundation will go on to do amazing things, in John's memory, so that no members will have to battle WTC cancer on their own.

Now, if only the Department would extend Mrs. McNamara WTC Full Line of Duty, Level I benefits BEFORE his funeral, it would at least attempt to show that they are trying to do the right thing. "A hero only dies when he's forgotten..."

Please consider making a donation to the NYC Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation, which McNamara was formerly Vice President of at: http://www.nycfirefighterfoundation.org/id5.html

John McNamara was a 10 year veteran of the FDNY, and was presently assigned to Engine Co. 234 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was a first responder who not only assisted during the search and rescue efforts of September 11th, 2001, but also responded to New Orleans and assisted the New Orleans Fire Department and the citizens of Louisiana during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Formerly a resident of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and presently a resident of Blue Point, Long Island, John 43, was valiantly struggling to survive a nearly 3 year battle with stage 4, metastatic colon cancer. John and his wife Jennifer have a 2 ½ year old son named Jack.

In the firefighting tradition of “leaving no man behind”, John’s family, friends and brother firefighters at Engine 234 / Ladder 123, Engine 220 / Ladder 122 , the Blue Point Volunteer Fire Department and the New York City Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation were working hard to see that John is supported as his battle continues to become more difficult.

John’s brother firefighters hosted a fund raiser on Saturday May 2nd, 2009 at Mulcahy’s Pub in Wantagh. Their hope was to raise enough funds to not only defray the cost of medical expenses, but to also provide a solid financial future for his son Jack.

We thank you in advance for your generosity and thoughtfulness.