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Finding Memories in the Rubble
Scott Belanger with Charles Nava, assistant fire chief. Behind Nava is Belanger's daughter, Emily. Beside Belanger are friends Michelle Young, left, and Lynn Roschetz.
(James A. Parcell - Twp)
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"I kept coming if for nothing else than to wait for a chance to paw through the debris," he said.
He finally got a chance to look around Thursday as fire officials were wrapping up their investigation.
He had just moved into the condo in July with all new furniture and his impressive collection of sports memorabilia.
The furniture could be replaced, but the collection, which included a football jersey autographed by Baltimore Colts great Johnny Unitas, could not, he said with sigh.
Most of all, however, he had hoped to recover his 1979 graduation yearbook from the Naval Academy along with the U.S. flag he received from the Navy at the burial of his father, who was a World War II veteran.
At first, all he saw in the wreckage were shards of metal, blackened boards and nails.
"Everything else was unrecognizable," he said. "It all melted together."
After a few hours, he emerged with two finds: the cover of an earlier Naval Academy yearbook and a melted soccer trophy that belonged to his son.
"I mean, I can see in my mind where everything was, but then I open my eyes and it's all gone, just a mess," he said.
Later Thursday night, his son -- who had been similarly upset over the loss of his video games and PlayStation -- called to tell his father that he was searching on the Internet, trying to find another 1979 yearbook on eBay.
"He's trying to help," Belanger said. "You move on, you know? You try to make sense of it and then you have to move on."
