MANHATTAN - Famous bell maker, James Valdez, known for his exquisite bells which hang in such places as Notre Dame de Paris and Cathedrale de Mon Deux in Normandy, was commissioned to create bronze statues of the each of the members of the NYFD who lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy.
Valdez secretly used the grant money, paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to have the statues cheaply made in the Phillipines.
When Valdez travelled to the Phillipines to pay the foundry and arrange for the finished statues to board a shipping boat en route to NYC for the dedication ceremony, he was met with shocking surprise.
Upon his arrival at the Phillipino foundry, he was said to have fainted at the sight of over 200 4'1" Asian firefighters.
Former NYC Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, who is a personal friend of Valdez, was said to have been waiting at Dock 52 for the grand entrance of the Maersk ship Fraulein, which was supposed to be carrying the statues into harbor from the James Valdez Foundry in New Orleans.
Instead, Guiliani was met with the Philipino ship Dim Hee carrying the statues. Guiliani was said to be very dismayed by this and blamed Valdez for a rude joke.
Valdez claims he came to the conclusion that "maybe no one would notice."
