9/11 tragedy inspired firefighter's tribute

Mike McClernon's tattoo is dedicated to remembering a day that Americans will never forget. The 45-year-old Beaver Dams truck driver who hauls the U.S. mail, is a volunteer firefighter with the Hornby Volunteer Fire Department and also is a past chief of the Beaver Dams Volunteer Fire Department.

The Brooklyn native designed his own tattoo to memorialize the firefighters who died in the 9/11 tragedy. The tattoo was done at a Corning tattoo parlor. It has a red Maltese cross, with the Twin Towers surrounding it. One of the towers says "FDNY 343" and the other says, "Remember." It also includes the words "Fire" and "Rescue." Around the outside of the tattoo is the inscription "Red Badge Of Courage."

He got the tattoo right after 9/11. "I felt it was the right thing to do," he said.

McClernon said he visited his grandmother frequently in Brooklyn while he was growing up, and witnessed the Twin Towers construction. When they were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, attacks, it "really struck a nerve" with him, he said.

As a volunteer firefighter, McClernon said, he relates to the ultimate sacrifice of the firefighters and police officers that responded so bravely and efficiently to this disaster. He said he wanted his tattoo to pay tribute to all of the brave men and women who lost their lives trying to save others.