"Farewell to a Fallen Brother"

When a volunteeer firefighter dies in the line of duty, it brings us all up short. We depend on these men and women, who are also teachers, road workers, clerks... in short, regular people who have chosen to do something truly extraordinary: risk their lives for the rest of us, for total strangers.

Hector "Sandy" McClune, originally from Scotland, and for many years of Millerton, NY was such an ordinary hero. His funeral, held yesterday, was attended by the fire companies and police of what seemed like every town for 50 miles around, as well as many of his neighbors who were reminded to be grateful for the gift he gave them for 46 years. More photos here.