Families of fallen firefighters take bittersweet trip to Paris

PARIS -- Families of New York firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack are on a dazzling visit to Paris: a boat ride on the Seine, an elegant reception at the top of the Eiffel Tower, dinner on the Champs-Elysees.

They say they are enjoying themselves -- up to a point. Behind all the fanfare always lies the painful personal losses that brought them here.

"Bittersweet is the only way you can describe it," Geraldine Halderman, who lost her firefighter son David Halderman, said on Saturday. "The reason we're here is so sad."

Halderman, 68, of Brentwood, N.Y., is one of 75 family members and a handful of New York firefighters on a 12-day visit to France as guests of the Paris Fire Brigade. The FDNY lost 343 members in the World Trade Center assault.

The families and a group of department members attended the signing on Saturday of a cooperation agreement between Paris firefighters and the FDNY that provides for annual meetings and a sharing of firefighting and anti-terrorism tactics.

At the ceremony at the Paris Fire Brigade headquarters, French officials praised the FDNY for courage and dedication and expressed sympathy for families of the fallen.

"The psychological shock that we felt turned into a great feeling of admiration for our American counterparts," said the chief of the Paris firefighters, Gen. Jacques Debarnot.

French officials were doing their best to keep their guests busy.

Later Saturday, the group was hosted at Paris City Hall where the two fire departments demonstrated their firefighting gear. Other activities included the singing of a song commemorating Sept. 11, a gymnastics performance by the Paris brigade and a reception in the ornate City Hall's Hall of Tapestries.

The French government on Friday awarded the FDNY a medal for courage and devotion.

On Sunday, the families were to attend a huge parade marking Bastille Day, France's national holiday. The parade will include a New York fire truck and will be led this year by a squad of cadets from West Point military academy in New York.

The trip has been difficult at times for the families. Janice Testa, who lost her brother Henry Miller in the attack, broke into tears during the signing of the cooperation agreement.

"It's still a shock," said Testa, 49, of Valley Stream, N.Y., as she lifted her glasses to dry her eyes after the ceremony. "Moments like this bring back memories."

Still, she said she appreciated all the attention as proof that people outside of New York still remember the sacrifice of her brother and so many others.

"It's hard in one way because we've had a loss," said Testa, whose father is a retired firefighter. "But it's good in a way because it takes our minds off of it."