On September 11, 2001, I lost a friend by the name of John Moran. He was a Battalion Commander in the NYFD who gave his life with too many of his fire-fighting brothers in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
John and I went through kindergarten and grammar school together (as well as four more years, despite high schools separating us, thanks to our involvement in Saint Camillus Marching Band). Usually we were side by side since our place in line was determined by size order and both John and I were individuals of height.
As life would have it our paths diverged for a while, but managed to cross again at a band reunion in the early part of 2001 where we shared reminiscences and exchanged recommendations on our current reading materials. In the years that had passed John had earned a law degree been promoted to Battalion Commander in the NYFD, had gotten happily married, and was well on his way to making a substantial contribution to the world around him.
But then 9/11 came along.
At his memorial service I learned that John always carried in his wallet TR's quote "the Man in the Arena" for inspiration.
This book was inspired by him, and is dedicated to him, just the sort of book that we used to recommend to each other.
For John Moran, a man worthy of TR's epigraph.