Obama pays tribute to police, firefighters

President Barack Obama stopped before a large bronze firehouse memorial to the 15 firefighters from midtown's Engine Co. 54, Ladder 4 and Battalion 9 who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

He looked on silently Thursday at the individual plaques of the firefighters -- six of whom were Long Islanders -- while a fire official next to him described the horror of what consumed the late summer day nearly a decade ago: "We lost a whole shift."

Obama shook his head and uttered one word: "Unbelievable."

The moment underscored why the president was visiting the firehouse in the heart of the theater district and, later in the day, the First Precinct Police Station in lower Manhattan, closest to the World Trade Center.

He was paying tribute to the fallen police officers and firefighters, as well those who survived the attacks, while in the city four days after a team of U.S. commandos killed the man behind that plot, Osama bin Laden.

"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the American people for the sacrifices that you make every single day," Obama told firefighters at the station before he joined them for lunch. "And I just want to let you know that you're always going to have a president and an administration who's got your back, the way you've got the backs of the people of New York over these last many years."

Obama's visit struck a chord with firefighters and police officers, who said they appreciated the simple thank you.

Capt. Edward Winsky, commanding officer of the First Precinct, called the visit to his station "an honor." The precinct didn't lose any officers on 9/11, but one of its own had to be rescued from the rubble.

"He thanked every police officer in the building and he didn't give any political speeches," Winsky said. "He just said we're all Americans. We're all in this together."

The president stopped first by the firehouse at Eighth Avenue and 48th Street just before 11:30 a.m. He was accompanied by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led the city through the attacks.

Obama received a rousing ovation at the house, nicknamed "The Pride of Midtown."

The president took his coat off and sat down to eat eggplant parmigiana and shrimp with 18 firefighters. He discussed the operation that led to bin Laden's killing, but the conversation also veered off to less weighty issues, like the fortunes of the Mets and Yankees.

Firefighter Joe Ceravolo, among those who cooked the meal, said the president "loved the shrimp" and was good company. Ceravolo said Obama "was a real down-to-earth guy. It was like hanging out with the rest of the guys in the firehouse."

Obama went from there to the First Precinct, where he arrived shortly after 12:30 p.m. and met with more than 50 officers, including 15 from the citywide Emergency Services Unit.

He signed the precinct log book, writing "God Bless."

Back at the firehouse, firefighter Leonard Sieli explained why the president's visit mattered.

"It's personal to us, to me. . . . Those 15 plaques you see on the wall are friends. They are not just pieces of metal," said Sieli, 47, a Fresh Meadows resident who's been a firefighter for 19 years. "The country has not forgotten. That's all we asked."