Thousands Attend S.I. Firefighter's Funeral

The Staten Island Advance reports that "more than 5,000 firefighters lined" the street before the funeral for FDNY Lieutenant Robert Ryan. Ryan, who suffered serious burns while battling a 2006 fire but still returned to work, died on Sunday at age 46 while responding to a house fire on Staten Island. His wife Kathleen told the firefighters in attendance, "As much as you loved him, he loved you. The job was his life, and you guys were the reason he was a rich man." Mayor Bloomberg, who also spoke, referred to Thanksgiving, "There is something to give thanks for and that is we were lucky enough to have Bobby Ryan on this earth protecting our City, even if the time that he had here was much too short."