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AIRMAN'S UNIFORM PART OF 9/11 DISPLAY
By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public AffairsSOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) — A New York City police officer currently deployed at a Southwest Asia air base added a touch of blue to the wing’s Patriot Day ceremony here Sept. 11 by donating her police uniform. Master Sgt. Rose Condello, a 108th Air Refueling Wing member, is the marketing director for the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron. Airmen from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing wanted to donate a uniform display box to their Sept. 11 Memorial during the seventh anniversary commemoration ceremony. They approached Sergeant Condello after hearing she is a police officer with the 62nd Precinct in Brooklyn. The 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s structures and fire and emergency services flights Airmen built a display case to house a New York firefighter and police uniform. “Our fire chief, (Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Mohr), asked if we wanted to add a piece to the circle of honor,” said Staff Sgt. Mitchell Robinson, the battalion chief. “About 10 of us got together from the two different CE flights and came up with this idea.” The display will be added to the 380th AEW Circle of Honor, the wing’s Sept. 11 memorial, as a dedication to the fallen firefighters and police who died in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. When the commemoration organizers asked Sergeant Condello if she would like to say a few words at the ceremony, she humbly declined. “My story is not that important,” she said. “I’m honored I was asked to contribute.” Sergeant Condello said she hopes to share photos of the unveiling and the ceremony with her union and precinct when she returns home just days after the event. The complete uniform includes a cap device bearing the badge number 3100. This number was the original telephone exchange for the New York Police Headquarters before it moved to One Police Plaza. It was since used as part of the name for the N.Y.P.D. magazine and has come to symbolize the department. The badge on the uniform displays Sergeant Condello’s badge number along with a traditional mourning band. “It means a lot to me to have my badge number in that display,” she said. “To me, it says I had a part in this, I am leaving a part here. The circle of honor will be changed forever.” As the marketing director for the wing, Sergeant Condello occasionally brings tours to the memorial.
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