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FDNY
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Remembering The Bravest
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As part of NY1's special 9/11 coverage, Kristen Shaughnessy takes a look at how the terrorist attack affected the New York City Fire Department.
Video clips can be viewed with the free Real Player.
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September 11, 2001 was the single most catastrophic day in the history of any fire department in the nation. A total of 343 firefighters were killed, ranging in rank from new probationary firefighters to the super chiefs.
For the thousands of firefighters who remained, the days after September 11 were a blur of digging through the rubble of Ground Zero, of attending memorial services, and of serving as emotional surrogates for the families of the fallen brothers.
Many were lost on September 11, and many more continue to live with the pain of that loss every day.
Here are some of their stories.
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FOLLOW THE VIDEO LINKS TO WATCH THE COMPLETE PROFILES
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Jimmy Pappageorge
Gina Pinos’ fiance, Jimmy Pappageorge, was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center, and there was some important news she never got to tell him.
She had just found out she was pregnant with his child.
Later this month, "Our Heroes," a book paying tribute to the Latino firemen who died at the World Trade Center, will be released. Jimmy Pappageorge is among those remembered.
 
WATCH VIDEO [9:23]
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Carl Molinaro
A total of 75 firehouses throughout the city lost men on September 11, eight of them from Ladder Company 2 in Midtown Manhattan. Ladder 2 is a microcosm of every fire company that suffered such devastating losses, leaving behind wives, parents, young children and friends.
Carl Molinaro, who was 32 years old, had been with the FDNY for three years. He leaves behind an extended family with many memories - as did all his lost colleagues from his company.
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WATCH VIDEO [7:07]
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Greg Buck
On what would have been her third wedding anniversary, Catherine Morrison Buck met with NY1 to talk about her husband Greg.
She wanted a way to honor his memory. She says for her, September 11 will be 365 days since she's seen her husband.
Greg was a firefighter with Engine 201 in Brooklyn. He and three other members of his company - Paul Martini, Christopher Pickford and John Schardt - died in the World Trade Center. They were found months later, four stories down in the rubble of the south tower, the first one to collapse.
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WATCH VIDEO [9:28]
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Brothers & Sisters
A total of 244 firefighter wives lost their husband on September 11. There are 606 children who no longer have a father, and 15 widows who gave birth after their husbands were killed. These numbers are staggering, and they don't even include the number of sisters and brothers dealing with a loved one's death.
For the past year, a sibling group has been meeting on Staten Island to talk about their lost brothers.
One was a chief, another a captain, two were lieutenants, two were Elite Rescue members, and three had less than a year on the job.
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WATCH VIDEO [6:54]
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Billy Burke
For days after September 11, the Burke family thought Billy Burke had gotten out of the World Trade Center. When he was in the tower, he borrowed a cell phone to call a good friend. He told her he was out and safe, even though he wasn't.
A friend says that was "typical Billy," trying to make his friend feel better.
Then the family heard a rumor that Billy had gotten out and was taken to a hospital in New Jersey. Although they searched for days, the story turned out to be just that - a rumor.
The night that Billy died he was supposed to go to a fundraiser to raise money for the families of firefighters killed on the job. He was going with Lt. Billy McGinn of Squad 18. McGinn and six of his men died that day as well.
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WATCH VIDEO [9:19]
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Steven Bates
For at least one firefighter killed on September 11, the only family he had were his friends and colleagues.
Lt. Steven Bates had no living relatives when he was at the World Trade Center, but he did have a core group of friends that is now determined to keep his name going. Some he knew for more than 25 years, some he met on the job.
Bates’ body was never found, and the woman he dated for 10 years, Joan Puwalski, wants as much acreage dedicated to a memorial as possible. She says it's not fair to build commercially on someone's final resting place.
They say that a firefighter's family is his fellow firefighters. In Lt. Steven Bates' case, although he had no blood relatives, his family of brothers was large indeed.
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WATCH VIDEO [7:23]
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NYPD
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THOSE LOST]
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UNIFORMED]
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PAPD]
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SURVIVORS]
FDNY
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