Blog | Better Angels

Firefighter Peter Carroll

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Dawn Siebel

Peter Carroll had been a firefighter 19 years and was planning to retire after 20. He was seen guiding people from Tower One to safety, then going back into the building to guide more out to safety, again and again. His remains were found on 9/12.

A fellow firefighter called him “the funniest man I know” for the stories he would tell every shift about the crazy things that would happen to him on the way into work. “He could imitate people exactly and could find the humor in everything”  Carroll left behind three sons, a daughter and two stepchildren.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, Peter Carroll, portraits, Squad One, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter Thomas Butler

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Dawn Siebel

Thomas Butler, 37, was a 12-year FDNY veteran. With the NYPD before joining the FDNY, Butler still worked part time as the Bay Constable in Smithtown, Long Island. He was a military history buff and Naval reservist.  His father, Captain William Butler, FDNY retired, died in July of 2013 from “site-related pulmonary fibrosis,” acquired in the months he spent at Ground Zero working to find remains. He traded shifts with another son, a lieutenant with the Port Authority Police who worked the night shift; Captain Butler worked days.  Butler left behind three children under five. The christening for the youngest had just been held that September 9th.

When Butler “wasn’t with the fire department he was out on the water” and it is at the beach that his family has built a memorial. Thomas Butler’s remains have not been found.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Squad One, Thomas Butler, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter Gary Box

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Dawn Siebel

Gary Box, 37, worked several hands-on jobs that might have become careers had they been challenging enough. It wasn’t until he became a FDNY probie in 1996 that he knew he had found his calling.

At the firehouse he earned a reputation as a prankster. He convinced the men of Squad 1 that he had been a barber in a funeral home before joining up. He inflicted quite a few Mohawks instead of crewcuts before he became skilled enough with the scissors that they bought him a barber chair for the firehouse.  Box left behind two children under 5 on 9/11.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Gary Box, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, portraits, Squad One, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter Brian Bilcher

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Brian Bilcher, 37, was “Captain America” to his wife, and “Tugboat” to his brothers at Squad 1.  His first child, a son, was born on August 29th, just two weeks before 9/11.

A 10-year veteran, Bilcher played guard on the FDNY football team, and loved riding his motorcycle. Don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing it was a Harley.  His funeral services were held on what would have been his second wedding anniversary.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Brian Bilcher, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Squad One, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Lt. Michael Esposito

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Lt. Michael Esposito, 41, was posthumously promoted to Captain after 9/11. Nicknamed “Mel” after an “average guy” character in a Rodney Dangerfield movie, Esposito was on a 24 hour shift.

Esposito had responded with the NYC Search & Rescue team to the Oklahoma City bombing and spent five days in the rubble searching for victims. Again he went upstate NY with FEMA in 1998 in response to a deadly ice storm that left half a million people without power in crippling cold.  He was a certified EMT with training in scuba and haz-mat  who competed in triathlons and a former member of the FDNY boxing team.

His cousin Frank Esposito of Engine Company 235 was also lost at the WTC. His son Michael, graduated from the FDNY Academy in December 2013.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, Michael Esposito, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Squad One, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Lt. Edward D’Atri

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

At 38, Lt. Edward D’Atri was a 16-year FDNY veteran. Off duty on 9/11, D’Atri left his Staten Island home around the same time his Squad left their firehouse. He was last seen going up a stairwell in Tower One, asking others if they had seen his Squad.

D’Atri joined the FDNY when he was 21. After he became a Lieutenant in 1994, he served with Rescue Co. 2 and 4 before being assigned to Squad 1. Through his career, he received four citations for valor.

He had two boys, 9 and 10, who loved to go to the firehouse with him and sit in the truck. They especially loved it when they got to stay overnight.  A body builder once named Mr. Staten Island, D’Atri was also a black belt in karate who loved to read, particularly philosophy and books of sayings and quotations. D’Atri had just become engaged to be married again that June.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, Edward D'Atri, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Squad One, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Capt. James Amato

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Capt. James Amato, 43, was posthumously promoted to Battalion Chief. He loved the fire department and he loved being in the thick of the action, which is why – even tho he was assigned to a busy ladder company – he applied to get into the rescue division so he could always be one of the first to respond. That’s what brought him to Squad One.  Throughout his career he made it a practice to go to all firefighter funerals and every fundraiser for the Widows and Orphans Fund. His wife said she now understands why he did this and appreciates this gesture he made, because now she is the recipient. “Now I look at it, it was a commitment, a brotherhood at the firehouse. He was very passionate about his job.”

He left behind four children.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, James Amato, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Squad One, World Trade Center, WTC | 2 Comments

Firefighter Michael Bocchino

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, Battalion 48, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, Michael Bocchino, NFFF, paintings, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

B. C. Joseph Grzelak

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Battalion Chief Joseph Grzelak went straight from high school into the Marine Corps, spending 1968 and 1969 in Vietnam. He was discharged as a Sergeant in 1970 and appointed to FDNY in 1973. After that was a slow but steady climb up the FDNY ladder for this “firefighter’s chief”. Grzelak was made Lieutenant in 87, Captain in ’93 and Battalion Chief in 1998. He was assigned to Battalion 48.  Nicknamed “Joe Knows” for his encyclopedia knowledge about anything and everything, he was the go-to man if you had a question. On 9/11 he brought his binder filled with research on fighting high-rise fires. It was later found in his completely crushed car.

B.C. Grzelak’s remains were recovered in March 2002, next to the last standing beam of Tower Two.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, Battalion 48, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Joseph Grzelak, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter Peter Vega

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Peter Vega, 6’3”, had the nickname of “Big Head” for the obvious reason, which required a special helmet. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Vega was proud of his mixed Irish and Puerto Rican heritage. His family moved to Brooklyn when he was three. “Petie” came to the FDNY after six years in the Air Force and a stint as an ironworker until the FDNY appointment came through in 1995.

Vega had worked the Monday night shift. On 9/11 he managed to leave a message on his wife’s phone before Ladder 118 was called up. It said: “I’m going to the big one, I love you.”  Vega was found on New Year’s Day alongside Agnello and Regan. He was identified by the yin/yang tattoo on his shoulder and the braces on his teeth. He was buried next to Cherry and Agnello in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. He left behind a one-year-old daughter.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Ladder Co. 118, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, Peter Vega, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment