By Tracey Porpora
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A petition drive to name one of the future new Staten Island ferryboats after Firefighter John G. Chipura, a Staten Islander who died in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, now has 11,000 signatures.
Chipura, whose nickname was “Chip” was an FDNY firefighter, a NYPD cop, a U.S. Marine, an Eagle Scout, and a native Staten Islander.
A change.org petition issued earlier this year sought at least 1,500 signatures to be sent to Borough President James Oddo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and city and state elected officials, as well as to U.S. Senators Charles Schummer and Kirstin Gillibrand. As of this writing, the petition had more than 11,000 signatures.
“We are blessed that we have a multitude of heroes in this great city who serve with distinction and honor. On 9/11 alone, we lost 343 members of the FDNY, 23 members of NYPD and 37 members of the Port Authority Police department - many of them from Staten Island. Any of these heroes deserves the honor of having a Ferry named after them,” the petition notes.
What sets Chipura apart, organizers said, is a life-long commitment to service, starting with his service to community through Boy Scouting, and continuing to serve his country as a U.S. Marine, and later to serve his city as a member of the NYPD and FDNY.
Published reports say there is another petition being circulated among city firehouses to dub a ferry in Chipura’s honor.
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