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Dear Brothers and Sisters:
"10-13"
How many times did we heard this call when we were ON THE JOB?
How many times had you been sitting in the RMP or an unmarked car eating your
breakfast, lunch or dinner or just drinking a cup of coffee when a signal
"10-13" came over the air? It was one
thing to get the call from Central but when it came directly from an MOS over
the air you knew it was paramount to get there and get there FAST!!
How well I do remember, out the window went the coffee, the sandwich or whatever else we had in our hands or on our laps and the only thought in our mind was to get to the scene and get there
as fast as humanly possible.
"10-13"-"10-13"-"10-13" The radio
code reads OFFICER NEEDS ASSISTANCE, but we all know it
meant "I NEED HELP NOW"!!!! At that moment the only thing that traveled though our minds
was to get to who was calling on the radio. The siren went on, the lights were flashing and we rushed off to get to the scene,
nothing would stop us from getting to the location, nothing because one of us
needed help.
So here we are today in our retirement years with most of us in our golden years
we join 10-13's and other retiree organizations. Why?
Police Officers by nature alone seek each other out; we are comfortable being in each others company. We love talking about the past, cases that we caught, cases that we solved. We talk about the good times and the not so good times, the bad details and the good ones. We talk about our past partners, and how we relied on each other watching our backs and how that friendship and camaraderie lasted throughout the years. We talk about our departed brothers and how we would have like for them to be with us this day enjoying each other just meeting and talking. This is the Retirees
"10-13". This is why we are called
New York's Finest.
Besides Police Officers we have other brothers also. They are
New York's Bravest, members
of FDNY.
The media keeps reporting of conflicts in New York City between members of
NYPD and FDNY personnel, and we here in Florida wonder why? There is NO CONFLICT in Broward County. The respect we have for each other goes beyond camaraderie. We not only appear at each others retiree meetings but the leaders of these retiree organization have joined together to be inaugurated and installed as new officers each year at our Dinner and Dance functions.
For years we have know and stated that both members of the
NYPD and FDNY share a common bond. While we leave our blood on the streets and sidewalks of New York City, the Firefighters leave it in the burning building and
in rotten tenements. We have compassion for each other and our grief is the same
when anyone of us falls in the line of duty.
This is the true meaning of "10-13" and it is why our organization has grown and survived these many years. To all you new retirees and those of you who soon become one, there are 10-13 clubs though out the country just waiting for you
to become a member. On our links page you will find an icon that will open a
site with the names and locations of clubs nationwide, their addresses and the contact person. Take time to make that call.
Being a member of a 10-13 club gives meaning to the job we did when we were on the job, and it also gives meaning to our retirement. They say that soldiers just fade away, but I know that a
members of a "10-13" is never forgotten.