| Cheers to all who Serve and Protect
Patch Unveiling
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Photo by Chris Barriere
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At 7:30 on Wednesday, September 25th, Eddie Doyle and
Cheers Beacon Hill unveiled a plaque commemorating the
colorful display of patches collected through the years
from the brave men and women of the Police, Fire, and
Service branches. The public was welcome at this event
and there were many police officers and members of local
services present. Eddie was pleased that this event was
a success.
Patch Project Background
A number of years ago, a couple of guys walked into
our pub and sat at the bar. After batting the breeze
with them for a while they told us they were from
the Coast Guard. They seemed like a couple of nice fellas
from farm country, you know, one of the square states.
As they were getting ready to leave, they told us "Cheers"
was the greatest thing since sliced bread and their brief
visit to our little pub brought the whole story
to life. One of the guys took a Uniform Patch from
his pocket and asked if we could hang it up somewhere
behind our bar. "It's our unit's patch and
we helped design it." I grabbed the stapler and attatched
it to one of the liquor cabinets. You should have
seen the looks on their faces...thrilled! We voiced
our approval, laughing and clapping as we read the bright
nylon thread printing on this rather large piece of cloth.
"Elvis, if you're out there, we'll find you"
was across the top. A drawing of Elvis was in the center
and underneath him read "United States Coast
Guard." If only those two guys realized what they
had started. Simply put...a snowball.
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Photo by Chris Barriere
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Week after week, day after day, men and women would
bring in their Police, Fire or Service patch and add to
the growing collection. A year or so after we put
Elvis up, we were running out of space. The only areas
not being used were the oak beams that crossed the ceiling.
Not any more! We made a proper display for all the patches
we had set aside and covered them with plexi-glass. Guess
what...we've got more patches, metal crests and a policeman's
hat from Europe. Some of these are mailed in along with
a kind note, which we appreciate.
Occasionaly there is a story behind a few of the patches.
A husband and wife, both police officers, gave us
a patch in memory of one of their partners who was
killed in the line of duty. There's a patch from
the Worcester Fire Dept. and a photograph of the 6 Firemen
who tragically lost their lives in a terrible warehouse
fire in Worcester, less than 50 miles from Boston. Representatives
from Fire Departments across our Nation and Canada
attended their funerals.
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Photo by Chris Barriere
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One day, five New York Policemen came in for lunch. They
had just apprehended a person wanted for a murder back
in the Big Apple. The Boston Police played a crucial role
in this arrest. We were presented an NYPD Homicide Patch
and a special lapel pin for each of our staff. They informed
us that their unit was being portrayed in the popular
TV show, "NYPD Blue." They were top-shelf guys,
but I still hate the Yankees. Every shift I have on
the bar, I look at the NYPD Patch and wonder if all those
guys made it past 9/11 unharmed.
It's fun for all the visitors to our Pub to pick out a
patch from their home-town, however, there is a new sense
of awareness as each of us look them over. There
is a re-born sense of pride and respect we have
for all the men and women who wear that colorful patch
on the shoulder of their uniform. All of us who
work at "Cheers" feel honored that people think
enough of us to bring in or send a patch for our collection.
On behalf of all of us here in Boston, Thank You
and be safe.
"To Serve
and Protect with Honor and Dignity"
If you would like your patch displayed at "Cheers,"
please send it to the following address:
The Bull & Finch Pub / Cheers
c/o Eddie Doyle, bartender
84 Beacon Street
Boston, MA. 02108
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