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 The
badge of a fireman is the Maltese Cross. This
Maltese Cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. Its
story is hundreds of years old.
When
a courageous band of crusaders known as the Knights of St. John,
fought the Saracens for possession of the holy land, they
encountered a new weapon unknown to European warriors. It
was a simple, but a horrible device of war, it wrought
excruciating pain and agonizing death upon the brave fighters
for the cross.
The
Saracen's weapon was fire. As
the crusaders advanced on the walls of the city, they were
struck by glass bombs containing naphtha. When
they became saturated with the highly flammable liquid, the
Saracens hurled a flaming torch into their midst.
Hundreds
of the knights were burned alive; others risked their lives to
save their brothers-in-arms from dying painful, fiery deaths.
Thus,
these men became our first firemen and the first of a long list
of courageous firefighters. Their
heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders who awarded
each here a badge of honor - a cross similar to the one firemen
wear today.
Since
the Knights of St. John lived for close to four centuries on a
little island in the Mediterranean Sea named Malta, the cross
came to be known as the Maltese Cross.
The
Maltese Cross is your symbol of protection. It
means that the fireman who wears this cross is willing to lay
down his life for you just as the crusaders sacrificed their
lives for their fellow man so many years ago.
The
Maltese Cross is a fireman's badge of honor, signifying that he
works in courage - a ladder rung away from death.
Anonymous
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