Moving Tribute To Firefighters Lost on 9/11

By Chris Howell, NewsOn6.com Video Journalist

RAMONA, OK -- At Doug Scarmozzi's body shop in Ramona, labor is $40.00 per hour. But when Doug watched the twin towers of the World Trade Center fall on Sept. 11, 2001, he came up with a tribute to the fallen firefighters that have him and others working hundreds of hours for no pay at all.

Doug's dream was to refurbish a retired fire truck on loan from the city of Collinsville and present it as a tribute to the families of the firefighters lost on 9/11.

"They are the true unsung heroes of America. When we're running away from trouble, they're running to it, so this is a tribute to all the firefighters not just the 343," explained Doug Scarmozzi.

After Doug repaired and painted the truck, the name of each and every one of the 343 firefighters was hand-painted in gold by Natalie Dillon.

"It affected different people different ways, you know, and to me it just hit home," Doug said. "So I decided to do something for the firefighters and the families of the firefighters."

And what of the countless hours Doug put into this tribute? He says it was worth every minute.

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