Let’s Get Acquainted
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 Mike and Marian Charron
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BROTHERS FOREVER
They met on the beach in Brooklyn as teenagers. They were with a group of boys and girls. It took some time before they went out on a date. Mike received a Science Award for experimental sheet metal and a scholarship to Cooper Union Technical College. Instead, he went into carpentry for two years because he wanted to work with his hands. Marian and Mike were getting serious about their relationship and had no idea that the US Army would interfere in their immediate future. Having a 4-F classification led Mike to believe that the military would not be interested in him. He was told to report for his six month evaluation, and when he got there, was shocked to find out that in spite of his rating, he was drafted into the Army. When he called Marian to tell her, she was just as shocked. So two years in Korea came between them and their plans. When he returned, they became engaged.
Like in many big cities, kids would hang out on street corners and when he had not been there for two years, they wanted to know where he had been. He said he took a detour to Korea. He went back to building houses, but work was not steady and if it rained he did not get paid. His father suggested he look for another line of work since he was in a serious relationship.
The City of New York was taking applications for many departments including the Fire Department, Police Department, Sanitation and others. He said that 80,000 people took the written test and only 25,000 passed. Of that group only 5,000 people passed the physical to be eligible to become firemen. His time in the service had one plus because he was in extremely good physical condition when he returned.
When Mike became a fireman, one of his duties was to help the cook. When they discovered that he actually knew how to cook, that became his duty. While part of the department, he related to us what it was like to go on a run. In some parts of the city there was an informal war going on between a small percentage of residents and any form of authority. While fighting fires, the firemen had to be concerned about being hit by flying rocks, bottles or other missiles. The other 90% were simply trying to survive and take care of their families. In some situations, fire hoses were turned on people to keep them out of the streets. On one occasion, people were sitting in a burning building playing cards and refusing to move. The firemen had to force them out. On a happier note, when they had food left over at the firehouse, they would donate it to the residents in the area.
At Christmas time they would drive a big hook and ladder truck throwing wrapped candy to the children lining the street. He talked about the plight of the postman and how the mailboxes were smashed during welfare check thefts, so he could not deliver mail. The firehouse set up a card table and chair for him where they also served milk and cookies. The postman would go into the apartment building and blow a whistle to let residents know he had their mail which they came to pick up at the firehouse.
Mike said that firemen are like family and call each other brother. This relationship never ends, and they are brothers forever. Although 9/11 is a very sensitive area for Mike, we asked him about that day and he said he lost eleven people he knew including the sons of some of his former colleagues. Marian never wanted her sons to become firemen. Mike related how they visited the site two years later and saw for themselves the steel girders that fell to the ground in the form of a cross. Within 100 yards is a small church from the Revolutionary War period, which withstood the initial blast and falling debris. It was to this church that a chaplain was brought that had been hit by someone jumping. The firemen cleaned him up the best they could with baptism water. This never made the news. He said there were many other stories about his life as a fireman, but he could not talk about some of them because of emotional pain.
When it came time for retirement after twenty years of fighting fires, Mike realized that he was ineligible for Social Security because he did not have enough credits. He had gone back to carpentry, but a friend got him a job on the Long Island Railroad doing field work for seven years so he could qualify for benefits, with carpentry on the side. He was a quick study and after observing the surveyors, he was able to plot the course and they wondered how he was able to do this without formal training. As Mike puts it, we are all given gifts and his happened to be in the area of mathematics and logical reasoning. He was able to master metrics with no problem. He said he has a high retention level.
As a member of a retired firemen’s group, he talked about a tribute to 9/11 in 2008 at Tempe Town Lake in which they will place a ring of flags each containing the name of a fireman killed in that disaster. He asked for attendance since it is important that we never forget what happened that day and those who were in the midst of tragedy.
We asked how they arrived in Sun Lakes. Mike said their son moved here and he wanted to see what was so great. After a couple of visits, he was hooked on the sunshine and a reluctant Marian agreed to make the move. One of their sons is still in the East and their daughter is in France. With that Mike could not help telling a story about his experience of arriving in Arizona in January without his wife, who would follow in March since her mother had complications from heart surgery. He had two dogs (he calls them his girls) that he used to walk about the same time every day. Two women took note of his activity and decided he must be available so they kept showing up. At first he paid no attention, then decided to vary his times to see what they would do. He did not encourage them, but the ladies apparently did not need any encouragement and one of them delivered a casserole one evening. He did not invite her in and when Marian showed up, both women disappeared. Mike and Marian enjoy living in Sun Lakes because life moves at a much slower pace and people have time to get to know each other and enjoy the good life.
On a lighter note, we asked what hobbies he and Marian have in Sun Lakes. Mike said they both like to golf and bowl, enjoy going out to eat and have been going to the Karaoke parties at the Ironwood Clubhouse. Marian plays Canasta and Mahjong. Marian refers to Mike as her handyman and evidence of his carpentry skills are found throughout the house. He has tiled their floors, and built several pieces of furniture. Marian had seen a bedroom suite that she wanted and when Mike saw the price tag, he gathered up the necessary materials using the picture she had looked at and went to work. Mike also helps two other retired firefighters in the community by providing transportation since they are no longer able to drive at night. They are truly brothers forever.
Editors note: Due to technical difficulties the pictures are not as clear as usual.
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