A choice is a decision
that we have the option to make,
but a hero's choice is a decision
that's made for another's sake.
They became firefighters
not for the pay or uniform
and knew what they might have to face
in the duties they'd perform.
And on September 11th,
two-thousand and one,
though their worst fears came true,
they did what had to be done.
In the chaos and terror
and rush of the mob,
headfirst they proceeded
to accomplish their job.
Through air thick with flame,
they felt the vibration,
but made a hero's choice to enter
...without hesitation.
Aware this decision
could mean from earth they'd depart,
each made a hero's choice
by following his heart.
Although hundreds went in,
their guidance was heard as one voice
and thousands live today because
they made...a hero's choice.
Every firefighter's limb
that bears a burn or a scar
represents what they do
and defines who they are
and the steadfast union they share
where it's understood...
that it's more than a job;
it's a sacred brotherhood.
On that fateful day in September,
they proved this to be true…
When a firefighter's skin is cut,
he bleeds red, white and blue.
Along with grieving for their loss,
let us also rejoice
that each firefighter left this earth
because he made ...a hero's choice
