McCain Visits NYC Firefighters
From CBS News' Andante Higgins:
NEW YORK --John McCain brought lunch to firefighters in midtown Manhattan today, dropping in on Engine 54's garage holding four pizzas. "I brought lunch. Don't eat all of this yourself," he said as he handed the boxes off to the first firefighter who greeted him.
"Believe it or not I was so hungry on the way I already broke into it," McCain joked as firefighters gave him a tour of their building.
"The Pride of Midtown," as the company is known, lost 15 men on 9/11. The garage has plaques, photos and a memorial dedicated to their memories. "It never gets any better," McCain said to firefighters as he read the names and messages on the wall. "The older we get the more emotional you get...I think I was tougher the first time I saw it than I am the last time."
McCain went into the firehouse kitchen and sat down at a long wooden table and chatted a bit more. He asked firefighters what kind of equipment they needed to do their jobs better and if radio communication was better since 9/11. The men told him it had improved, but they still need better radios. They said recruitment is fine, but they lost a lot of their members to retirement after the world trade center collapsed.
McCain walked away with a cap and t-shirt from the department and waved goodbye to them and the small crowd of onlookers gathered on the street.
McCain spends the rest of the day in interviews before he heads to TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People" gala later this evening.