Chief Joe Callan, a veteran firefighter from the Bronx, was taking command at the North Tower when the South Tower collapsed. Amidst the terror and confusion, Callan drew widespread respect for the calm demeanor and judgement he displayed following the collapse. He was trapped with his firefighters in the lobby of the North Tower but managed to get to safety as the building … [Read more...] about Joe Callan: Fire Chief
FDNY
Henry McDonald: Firefighter
Henry McDonald, a retired battalion chief, spent his last six years with the Fire Department as executive officer (assistant) to First Deputy Commissioner Bill Feehan, He had retired nine months before September 11th and on that day was scheduled to meet Feehan for lunch. The lunch never happened. On September 11th, McDonald saw the attack on the WTC on TV. Regardless of his … [Read more...] about Henry McDonald: Firefighter
Mike Regan: Hands-On Guy
Mike Regan had quit the Fire Department, but when September 11 happened, he was back on the job immediately. Down at Ground Zero, he helped to recover the bodies of his comrades, including Fire Chiefs William Feehan and Pete Ganci. Then, with the FDNY gutted of leadership, Regan took on the role of First Deputy Commissioner, and for three awful months worked seven days a week … [Read more...] about Mike Regan: Hands-On Guy
The Final Note
Practicing "taps" prior to firefighter Michael Lynch's memorial service. "What kind of guy was Michael Lynch?" "I'll tell you what he was," said one of his firefighter coworkers. "There are two different kinds of guys that get on the Department. Those that got on the job, and those that get into the job. He was a guy that got into his work." Lynch was just 33 years old, … [Read more...] about The Final Note
Those Whom We Lost
They were busboys and bankers, grandmothers and newlyweds, firefighters, soldiers, tourists and priests. More than 2,500 of them died at their desks, or running down stairs, or clearing the way for others. Maybe a couple of dozen of them, on a plane over Pennsylvania, died swinging their fists. But on that cruel morning of September 11th, the morning of the most devastating … [Read more...] about Those Whom We Lost