Tales of the Seventh Battalion 24
Legends
This time of the year, early spring, makes me think of the hardiest of all outdoorsmen, the ice fishermen. Some of the Seventh Battalion top guns were men like Shemko and O’Dell but it would be hard to top the exploits of Serge Foresi. Sergie passed away last year but his adventures as a fisherman still creates good conversation around the campfires of many deer camps.
Sergie was a knowledgeable and serious fisherman. One of his favorite tactics was to drive his car out on the thin ice late in the season to see the other outdoorsmen scatter wild eyed in every direction. Sergei said it gave him a choice of fishing holes. Another revolting method, he used to get rid of competitors, was to carry a gob of mousey worms in his mouth to keep them from freezing. When a person would come near Sergie’s fishing spot he would stick out his tongue carrying a mass of wiggling white worms. It usually kept people away from him.
Sergie had a magic touch of moving his wrist up and down, when fishing, to simulate the rising of a worm in the water. It was a deadly technique that always produced fish. He also used this method in the summer to catch Walleyes at the park located on the Detroit River at the foot of West Grand Blvd. and Jefferson. This fishing spot was located in the Seventh battalion not far from our firehouse. When we got a taste for fish we would call out, “Let’s go fishing Sergie.” We would then pile onto our rigs and head for the park. Sergie would be tillering as we rolled up to the area where you could always find people fishing. Success for the average fisherman was usually meager at this location. People would be loafing around or laying down sleeping as Ladder 8 and Engine 27 pulled up. Sergie would bound out of the tiller seat and retrieve his fishing gear from a rear compartment. With his magic wrist motion and a hand tied jig Sergie would soon fill a bucket with juicy flopping silvery Walleyes. Sergie would then put away his gear, grab his pail of fish, and bound back into the tiller seat and we would be on our way back to quarters. We always left behind a group of bewildered fishermen trying to figure out what in the hell just happened.
In the true tradition of telling good stories, Sergie could tell tall tales. His most famous one was about the time when his Navy PBY patrol plane had to land under gale conditions. Sergie said the force of the wind was so strong that the pilot was able to back the plane into the hanger backwards while still airborne by simply adjusting his airspeed. Sergie would watch your eyes, when he told a tall tale, and if you believed him he had another story more outrageous than the first.
Not long ago I drove by Ladder 8 and Engine 27s quarters. The old building has been abandoned by the city. The rigs have been moved to a new station. The windows were boarded up and weeds and debris were wind blown around the ancient brick building. The memories warmed my heart and as I pulled away I thought I heard a voice calling in the wind, “Let’s go fishing Sergie.”
"Fire Talk" Archives
- Benny the Hook
- Got To Love Texas
- The Fog of Retirement
- Two Tough Kids
- On Leaving the Department
- Cop Talk 3, Ceremony
- Putting it on the Line
- A Bond of Love
- God Will Protect Us
- Stealing Fires
- Poo Poo Pants
- Decoy Carver
- Firefighter's Road Trip
- Day Twenty-seven. Road Trip
- Down Mexico Way
- Zoo in the 7th
- A Gentle Landing
- Always a Firefighter
- Christmas at the Firehouse
- Harem Sacrum
- The Crow Who Spoke Polish
- Once a Firefighter always a Firefighter
- A Brotherhood
- Retiring a Hall of Fame Firefighter
- Anatomy of Forcible Entry
- 911
- Old Horses
- The Milk Wagon
- The Howling
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 26, Destructo
- Memories of the 7th Battalion
- Running Mates
- Engine 32
- Last Alarm
- Tiger Stadium Fire
- To Moosenee and Back
- Memorial Day 2009
- Anatomy of a Fire at a Dangerous Building
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 25, A Typical 7th Battalion Fire
- Boris the Talking Dog
- Wear and Tear
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 24, Legends
- Axemen
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 23, Ankie
- Anatomy of a Dwelling Fire
- A Firefighter's Spring
- Input
- My Running Mate
- The Singing Fireman
- The Right Stuff
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 22, A Desperate Rescue
- 300 Spartans
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 21, Men Who Fight Bears
- At the End of His Rope
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 20, Wolf Warriors
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 19, Motorcycle Maniac
- Career Ending Injuries
- Detroit Loses One of Its Finest
- On Duty Injuries
- Unpractical Jokes
- Dedication in the Fire Service
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 18, Spare Parts
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 17, Passage to Hell
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 16, Gallant Warrior
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 15, Big Ones
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 14, Chicago Lil
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 13, Bridge Fires
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 12, Hot Stuff
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 11, Taco Wars
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 10, Day in Hell
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 9, Engine House Cat
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 8, Finding a Pen
- The Polish Squad
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 7, Wayne Soap
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 6, Junk Yard Goat
- The 1967 Riot in Detroit 3
- Department Legends
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 5, The Fonz
- The 1967 Riot (an entry from Tom Hart)
- The 1967 Detroit Riot
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 4, Howard
- The Buhl Building Fire
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 3, Engine 27
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 2, Roof Rescue
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 1, Explosion
- The worst 7th Battalion Fire
- Fire Incidents
- Beeler's Fog Monster
- Thoughts of a Retired Firefighter
- Dogs of the Realm
- Going to the Dogs
- Firefighter/Lawyer ?
- Moe Tales
- The Legend of Moe
- A POEM: When Brave Men Cry