On October 23, 1983, John Chipura was a young Marine in Beirut,
Leban
on
as part of the Multi-National Peacekeeping Forces there. At 6:22
a.m. John became a rescuer of his fellow Marines after a terrorist
suicide bomber destroyed the Marine Barracks at the airport. After
his tour of duty in the Marine Corps, John returned home to New
York City. But John yearned for the camaraderie of the firehouse;
his brother, Gerard, was a fireman, as their father, Anthony,
had been. In August, 1998, John achieved his dream. Thus it was
that on Tuesday, after the terrorist attack, that John phoned
his fiancé, Gina DeFalco, to ask if she had any news of his sister
Nancy, who worked in the World Trade Center. “There wasn’t any
news,” said Ms. DeFalco, “but later, when I heard that Nancy was
safe, I called John to tell him. But his ladder company had already
left.” John and the five other firefighters in the truck have
not been heard from since. Gerard Chipura, who survived, waits
along with Ms. DeFalco, who refuses to give up hope; she and John
planned to marry on Oct. 27th. Also not giving up hope are John’s
sisters, Eileen Cella and Susan Cohen, along with their families.
“The only good thing,” she said, “is that he is with the guys
he worked with and loved.” A Memorial Service was held on November
6th, 2001. “Chipura learned of preciousness of life amid carnage
in Mideast” By Eric Steinkopf The Jacksonville Daily News April
4, 2002 John Chipura knew how precious life was. He learned that
lesson as a Marine in Beirut where 241 of his fellow leathernecks
and servicemembers died as a result of a terrorist attack. Chipura
was there on Oct. 23, 1983, and survived when the Marine Corps
barracks was bombed. He was marked by the experience, said his
sister, Nancy Chipura of Staten Island, N.Y. as she stood Wednesday
at the Beirut Memorial in Jacksonville. “When he came back, he
was more of a hugging person,” she said. “He knew how precious
life was because it cold all be over in a second.” Fate can be
cruel and it was fate that took Chipura, a New York firefighter,
to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 only moments after the worst
incident of terrorism ever committed on U.S. soil. This time,
he didn’t make it. About 140 New York firefighters visiting North
Topsail Beach on a holiday arranged by a group of beach homeowners,
remembered Chipura Wednesday when they visited the Beirut Memorial.
Chipura, 39, of Engine Company 219, served in Beirut as a radioman
with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment with the 24th Marine Amphibious
Unit. Chipura’s brother, a fireman with Ladder Company 148, said
his brother never forgot his experiences as a Marine. “We didn’t
know it, but John kept in touch with all the families from the
bombing,” Gerard Chipura said. And the families, who learned that
Chipura was killed when the Twin Towers collapsed, have reached
back. They contacted the Chipura family after Sept. 11 to lend
support and prayers. “They have been great,” Gerard Chipura said.
Chipura’s family members said John talked more about his narrow
escape in Beirut as time went on. He often spoke of how adversity
bonds people. It was natural, friends said, that Chipura became
a police officer and fireman after leaving the Marine Corps. Former
firefighters, like former Marines, are always welcome to return
home. Gina DeFalco (pictured next to John’s brother, Gerard) of
Staten Island, Chipura’s fiancé, said he brought a Marine Corps
ethic to his work after leaving the service. “As a police officer
he was always looking to clean up the neighborhood and help other
families,” she said. “He was very caring, and nothing got in his
way or bothered him.” “He was a true Marine” By Mike Sherrill
The Jacksonville Daily News April 4, 2002 The firefighters stood
in front of the wall of names, saluted in unison and bowed in
a moment of silence. Some put patches and pictures of their brother,
former Marine and Sept. 11 victim John Chipura at the foot of
the Marine statue guard between the two granite walls of the Beirut
Memorial in Jacksonville. Members of Fire Department New York,
from Engine Company 219 and Ladder Company 105, who responded
to Ground Zero Sept. 11 and lost co-workers when the buildings
fell, visited the memorial Wednesday to honor the fallen 241 Marines
and other servicemembers killed in Beirut as well as one of their
own who survived the bombing but perished at the World Trade Center.
“There are a lot of similarities between the Marines that lost
their lives in Beirut on a goodwill mission and the firefighters
who lost their lives in the World Trade Center on a goodwill mission,”
FDNY Capt. Donald Howard said. For the firefighters, the visit
was an emotional tribute after a chance to relax over Easter Weekend
at North Topsail Beach. “John Chipura was part of this unit who
was there (in Beirut) and now he’s gone,” FDNY Lt. John Atwell
said. “He was a true Marine. Now, it’s nice to be able to honor
the Marine Corps as they honor our loss today. “This is certainly
a highlight of our trip.” Firefighters Christian Stathis and Peter
DiSalvo also saw parallels between the fallen servicemembers killed
in Beirut and firefighters who died when the Twin Towers collapsed
after being struck by hijacked airliners. “There is certainly
a connection between what we’re going through and what this community
went through (after the bombing),” DiSalvo said. “We’re happy
to be here. There are too many people to thank by name.” The trip,
sponsored by a group of homeowners at North Topsail Beach, has
offered a time to relax for the stressed firefighters, something
in short supply since the terrorist attack on the World Trade
Center. “It seems for the past seven months we’ve been working
or digging or going to memorials or funerals,” DiSalvo said. “There
hasn’t been a whole lot of time for family.” Stathis said during
a Monday round of golf, he felt the firefighters were able to
laugh and joke for the first time since the tragedy. “It was just
a short time. Our everyday waking thought is about Sept. 11,”
Stathis said. Howard said he appreciated the space given the firefighters
during their time in Onslow County. The benefits and memorials
are well meant, but there is “only so much you can do in a week.”
Then he turned to a Marine official and shook hands. “You made
this trip,” Howard said. Earlier Wednesday, the firefighters were
also given an on-base static display of weapons and equipment
performed by the reserve 2d Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment activated
after Sept. 11. Camp Lejeune spokeswoman Lt. Marisol Cantu said
many of those reserves were from New York and New Jersey. “The
2/25 was definitely honored to be the host company, because they’re
from that area and were personally touched by Sept. 11,” Cantu
said. Brian Bower, a member of the Beirut Memorial Advisory Board,
gave a small presentation on the memorial to the firefighters.
Bower also saw the similarities in the Beirut mission and those
who died responding to the World Trade Center. “You don’t want
to be in that same fraternity, but if you are, it’s nice to know
there’s a helping hand,” Bower said. Bower, a 42-year U.S. Army
veteran, said he shared the childhood dream of many young boys
wanting to be a firefighter. “You just don’t know who precious
life is,” Bower said. “These people go out every day and don’t
know if they’re coming home.” “Take Time to Pray” From: Nancy
Chipura Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2001 14:56:20 EDT Subject: From John's
sister Nancy To: Friends of John Chipura Hi Everyone, For those
of you who don't know me, I am John's sister Nancy. I found this
e-mail in my e-mail files. It is an e-mail that John sent out
on 6/18/01. The title is “Take Time to Pray.” I am sending this
e-mail for two reasons. One is as a reminder to everyone that
John sent this e-mail because he believed in it and was not afraid
to send it to his friends and family. The second reason is that
you were all an important part of John's life. Some of the e-mail
addresses I recognize but a lot of them I don't. I am sending
this out so that those of you who have not been able to contact
John will be able to contact me and John's family. This is a very
difficult time for us all. As we wait and pray for news on John,
it is important to know that none of us are alone. We have each
other. And, during this very difficult time, we have our memories
of John. Please share your memories with us. John has touched
so many lives in so many different ways. Some of you were in the
Marines with John. Others shared his life as a policeman or firefighter.
All of you were his friends. I pray that the Lord gives us all
strength to get through this very difficult time. Nancy
Back
to John's Home Page 