Galesburg firefighters pay their respects.by John Ring

Michael Elferis, Engine 22, firefighter ? Patrick Byrne, Ladder 101, firefighter ? Greg Buck, Engine 201, firefighter ? Robert Crawford, Safety Battery 1, firefighter ?

On some days, there are five funerals. On other days, there are three. And once in a while, there's just one.

Funerals. Firefighter funerals.

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani -- before September 11, 2001 -- took pride in attending every police officer or firefighter funeral. He felt the need to be there, say some words of comfort to the family and represent the City.

But now on some days, he can't make them all. There are too many. Three hundred forty-three firefighters died that day in New York City.

Mayor Giuliani attended the funeral for Dennis Scauso last Monday in Melville, Long Island. Scauso died in Tower 2 on September 11th and left a widow and four kids.

''Nobody can take your Daddy from you,'' Giuliani told Scauso's children. ''It can't be done. Your Dad is going to remain with you forever and ever.''

It had been 76 days since the attacks. Dennis Scauso was still missing. No remains. Nothing to bury. No closure. Only 34 firefighters have been recovered from the site.

But one by one, the widows are making the call. At Scauso's visitation, FDNY firefighters posted two honor guards near a photo of Dennis and firefighting turnout gear.

The Galesburg Firefighters Association -- Local 555 -- sent three of its representatives to attend funerals in New York City. A vast memorial service at Madison Square Garden scheduled for September 18th had been postponed because of tensions running high between New York firefighters and police due to a cutback of firefighters permitted at Ground Zero. City officials didn't think it was wise to mass a group of 30,000 firefighters from across the country together in that kind of atmosphere.

''It was just a one day thing,'' said a firefighter who was working at the site. ''The rank and file cops get along with the rank and file firefighters. On that day, it was just a case where a couple of higher ranking police officers flaunted their authority. But it didn't last long.''

Crews work 24/7. When they find a body, work is shut down, firefighters move in and remove the remains, cover it with an American flag and escort it to the ambulance -- regardless of whether the body is that of a firefighter or an innocent victim who was in the Tower.

The perimeter of Ground Zero is blockaded by the police. But as firefighters from around the United States converge on New York, they are allowed to enter.

It's no longer just a site. To them, it's sacred ground.

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