my hope that in some small way I can capture a glimpse of their efforts to share with you. It is my hope that in doing so, you, dear reader, will come away with a more complete understanding of the totality of Katrina and amazing extent to which her wrath has affected the lives of all of us as Americans and world citizens.
Herein lay the stories of some of these people. I extend thoughts of thanks, wonderment, and admiration to all of you. This is for you.
At Home and on the Tracks…the Water’s a Risin’
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure…In spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Christopher Reeve
“The scope of this disaster is beyond the bounds of words. The impact of this experience marked each man and woman in the NOFD and every fire department worker who came to help us. It simply changed our lives. It changed our work, our city, our homes, ourselves.
For most of us, the disaster has made us stronger. We are proud of our efforts and wonder how much worse it could have been if we had failed in our mission.
We mark the times in our lives now-before Katrina and after. And we learned her hard lessons. We know the loss felt by so many because we lost so much ourselves. We helped so many and we were helped by so many. We are brothers now in a deeper sense because of what we went through. Strength and honor serve us well.”
Reprinted from Come Hell and High Water,
New Orleans Fire Department, 2008.
The words written above could not be a more fitting tribute to all of the firefighters who gave of themselves in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction. Firefighters from all the local communities affected--firefighters from fire departments who came in to lend their strength, and the volunteer firefighters who came in with FEMA. All of them were unsung heroes dedicated to helping their fellow citizens in their times of need.
New Orleans Fire Department
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”
Sir Francis of Assisi
My Friend Ricky McCurley
Eulogy Delivered December 8th, 2005 delivered by Capt. Joe Fincher
"I had the privilege and honor of being Rick’s Captain for most of the last 6 years on Engine 4. In 1999, he finished number one on the operator’s list and we were flattered that his first pick was to come to Engine 4. When I first met him, I thought he was smart…I later found out he was brilliant. He was an English major at the University of New Orleans, and when time permitted, he read without ceasing.
A verse in proverbs says, ‘As a man thinketh, so is he.’ I can’t think of another person with a purer thought process. Ricky didn’t have a malicious bone in his body…to the contrary he was happy to help anyone, anytime, and at any place. Rick was shy and humble and maybe the most unpretentious person I’ve ever met. I thought when I first met him he was clever…I soon found out he was hilarious. I think the hardest I’ve ever laughed was in his presence.
Rick was talented at almost everything he did. We both love music and I was impressed that he could play guitar. His favorite band was the rock group U-2 and his favorite theologian was Bono. At Engine 4 with Rick, we had a great crew and a great district on a great Fire Department…things went so smooth it was as though we were on autopilot. Rick was always calm in the eye of the storm.
The more you knew Rick, the more you liked him. He became one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I believe everyone on our company would say the same. Also, the more you knew Rick, the more you knew he loved his family. The first order of business each day was to tell us of the adventures he shared with Kyndel and Kai. I called them Dr. Kyndel and Spiderman. I called her Doctor even though she was a nurse at East Jefferson Hospital because she was our doctor. I’d call her at all hours when my kids were sick and she gave me better information than 95% of the doctors I’ve ever spoken to. Not only did we hear family stories, we got pictures and videos complete with music. We were briefed on trips to Disney World, Universal Studios, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mardis Gras, and buffets in Biloxi. It’s great to know those of you in Rick’s family, even though I’ve just recently met some of you. He loved you all and now we’re all your family. And Kyndel, whatever the angels didn’t know about you and Kai…they know now.
Rick was proud of his family and I’m sure they’re proud of the job he did during Hurricane Katrina. All families of emergency workers know how difficult it is to separate from their families, especially when a Category 5 hurricane is imminent. Rick had taken an oath, honored that oath, and did the oath proud during the hurricane. Rick was really proud of a documentary he filmed of Hurricane Katrina and the rescues that took place after wards. I learned that the most compelling rescues aren’t on film…because he was assisting the victims.
In the weeks following, Rick and I discussed Hurricane Katrina and we both saw that there was a bigger picture. It seemed God was showing us cosmic laws of what’s important and what’s not, and what works and what doesn’t. God is important, family is important. “Love your neighbor,” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” “Esteem others higher than yourself.” FEMA doesn’t work on a large scale, but these principles do.
I’ve heard it said that there’s liberty in doing what the creator designed you to do, just as there’s liberty in playing a piano correctly. Just banging on the keys isn’t liberty. When you learn the keys and play them in the correct fashion, you make music. Likewise, ‘We are His workmanship created for good works in Christ.’ Metaphorically speaking, Ricky didn’t just play piano; he was a symphony. And I can see him in the heavenly symphony playing electric guitar with his fireman’s baseball cap on backwards, singing a new song. And Rick’s way in the back because he’d want someone else to get the credit. That was Ricky.
Capt. Joe Fincher
New Orleans Fire Department
Capt. Richard M. McCurley was stationed at Engine 4 in East New Orleans.
Engine 4 was one of the busiest stations in the city. Richard (or as he preferred to be called, Ricky) was considered a star of the department. He’d been with the
