After Massachusetts legalized tattoos in early 2001, Nashuafirefighter Roger Hall began exploring what kind he might get. Maybea burning shamrock or a fire-breathing dragon.
But after 9/11, Hall decided to get "inked" in a more personalway: to remember the 343 fellow firefighters who died in the WorldTrade Center attacks.
Hall eventually chose a delicate black ink drawing of St. Florian,often called the patron saint of firefighters, from an image he sawon the back of a firefighter prayer card.
Tattoos have always been popular among firefighters. But after theattack on the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, many local firefighterssaid they felt moved to honor the memory of their fallen comrades.
Some have designs that feature images of the burning towers;others depict fallen family members or friends. One Bellinghamfirefighter has the numerals 9-11-01, along with the date of anothertragedy for firefighters, 12-3-99, when six firefighters were lost ina Worcester warehouse blaze.
Nashua firefighter Michael Johansson struggled with how tocommemorate those lost in the terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter. After making 10 trips to New York City for funerals andassisting local rescue efforts, Johansson chose a real-life scene forhis first tattoo: a well-known photograph showing a despondentfirefighter, his head down.
"To me, that was one of the first images I saw after the WorldTrade Center tragedy," said Johansson. The picture was taken justfour hours after the collapse of the north tower.
Mike Clarke, a fifth-generation firefighter, went to ground zeroin the immediate aftermath. Clarke works on the FEMA Urban Searchand Rescue Task Force in Beverly, but grew up on Long Island and lost22 firefighter and civilian friends that day. His tattoo includesthe image of a New York City firefighter he knew and an inscriptionthat replicates the POW-style memorial bracelet given to the familyof another firefighter friend who was killed.
Clarke got his tattoo in early 2002, after spending months drivingbetween New York City and Beverly to attend 18 funerals.
"It was very important to be there for as many as I could," saidClarke. "It's part of a firefighter tradition."
Exactly when tattoos became popular among firefighters is unclear.Some say it started hundreds of years ago during Japan's Edo period,when closely-built homes were made of paper and wood.
"In Japan, there is a tradition of firefighters getting tattooed,"said C. W. Eldridge, a tattoo historian in Berkeley, Calif."Firefighters would fight in loincloths, almost naked, so full-bodytattooing was a big part of their identity.
"Firefighting is one of those high-risk occupations that makepeople superstitious," Eldridge said. "They'll get tattoos to quellthat fear. It's commemorative, like divers get sharks tattooed onthem to keep the sharks away; it's the very thing they fear themost."
Richard Marcoux said his tattoo proclaiming, "Fallen Brothers,Never Forgotten" has gotten a lot of attention. That's just whatMarcoux, now retired after 28 years with the Bellingham FireDepartment, wanted.
"I sat and thought about it for a year after 9/11 before I decidedwhat I wanted," said Marcoux. "Firefighting is a very tightbrotherhood. It really hit me and this was the best way I felt itcould be commemorated." His is the tattoo that features both dates, 9-11-01, and 12-3-99.
Marcoux's tattooed forearm "brought out the intense feeling ofsorrow firefighters go through when they lose a brother," he said. "Iwanted it where everyone can see it and not forget. And as long asI'm walking around, they won't forget."
When Hall, the Nashua firefighter, was deciding what kind oftattoo to get, he asked his friends in firefighting to send himpictures of theirs. Word spread, and he received so many he started awebsite devoted strictly to firefighters and their tattoos.
Hall's website, strikethebox
.com, features more than 800 images, and each week, firefightersfrom across the United States send in dozens more new photos. Thesite now boasts 85,000 visitors a month, Hall said.
"I had no idea it would grow to what it is," he said. "It's greatto know the other firefighters enjoy it as well."
FIREFIGHTERS USE INK AS LINK TO FALLEN FRIENDS TRADITION, TRAGEDY INSPIRE N.H. MAN TO COMMEMORATE HEROES WITH TATTOOSAfter Massachusetts legalized tattoos in early 2001, Nashuafirefighter Roger Hall began exploring what kind he might get. Maybea burning shamrock or a fire-breathing dragon.
But after 9/11, Hall decided to get "inked" in a more personalway: to remember the 343 fellow firefighters who died in the WorldTrade Center attacks.
Hall eventually chose a delicate black ink drawing of St. Florian,often called the patron saint of firefighters, from an image he sawon the back of a firefighter prayer card.
Tattoos have always been popular among firefighters. But after theattack on the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, many local firefighterssaid they felt moved to honor the memory of their fallen comrades.
Some have designs that feature images of the burning towers;others depict fallen family members or friends. One Bellinghamfirefighter has the numerals 9-11-01, along with the date of anothertragedy for firefighters, 12-3-99, when six firefighters were lost ina Worcester warehouse blaze.
Nashua firefighter Michael Johansson struggled with how tocommemorate those lost in the terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter. After making 10 trips to New York City for funerals andassisting local rescue efforts, Johansson chose a real-life scene forhis first tattoo: a well-known photograph showing a despondentfirefighter, his head down.
"To me, that was one of the first images I saw after the WorldTrade Center tragedy," said Johansson. The picture was taken justfour hours after the collapse of the north tower.
Mike Clarke, a fifth-generation firefighter, went to ground zeroin the immediate aftermath. Clarke works on the FEMA Urban Searchand Rescue Task Force in Beverly, but grew up on Long Island and lost22 firefighter and civilian friends that day. His tattoo includesthe image of a New York City firefighter he knew and an inscriptionthat replicates the POW-style memorial bracelet given to the familyof another firefighter friend who was killed.
Clarke got his tattoo in early 2002, after spending months drivingbetween New York City and Beverly to attend 18 funerals.
"It was very important to be there for as many as I could," saidClarke. "It's part of a firefighter tradition."
Exactly when tattoos became popular among firefighters is unclear.Some say it started hundreds of years ago during Japan's Edo period,when closely-built homes were made of paper and wood.
"In Japan, there is a tradition of firefighters getting tattooed,"said C. W. Eldridge, a tattoo historian in Berkeley, Calif."Firefighters would fight in loincloths, almost naked, so full-bodytattooing was a big part of their identity.
"Firefighting is one of those high-risk occupations that makepeople superstitious," Eldridge said. "They'll get tattoos to quellthat fear. It's commemorative, like divers get sharks tattooed onthem to keep the sharks away; it's the very thing they fear themost."
Richard Marcoux said his tattoo proclaiming, "Fallen Brothers,Never Forgotten" has gotten a lot of attention. That's just whatMarcoux, now retired after 28 years with the Bellingham FireDepartment, wanted.
"I sat and thought about it for a year after 9/11 before I decidedwhat I wanted," said Marcoux. "Firefighting is a very tightbrotherhood. It really hit me and this was the best way I felt itcould be commemorated." His is the tattoo that features both dates, 9-11-01, and 12-3-99.
Marcoux's tattooed forearm "brought out the intense feeling ofsorrow firefighters go through when they lose a brother," he said. "Iwanted it where everyone can see it and not forget. And as long asI'm walking around, they won't forget."
When Hall, the Nashua firefighter, was deciding what kind oftattoo to get, he asked his friends in firefighting to send himpictures of theirs. Word spread, and he received so many he started awebsite devoted strictly to firefighters and their tattoos.
Hall's website, strikethebox
.com, features more than 800 images, and each week, firefightersfrom across the United States send in dozens more new photos. Thesite now boasts 85,000 visitors a month, Hall said.
"I had no idea it would grow to what it is," he said. "It's greatto know the other firefighters enjoy it as well."
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