Firefighter Joseph Angelini, Jr.

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There is only one set of father and son among the 343. Given how many sons follow their firefighter fathers into this career, they might not have been the only ones, but they were. Joseph Angelini, Jr., 38, of Ladder 4, was a 7-year veteran. He was raised to be a firefighter. It took four years between applying for the job and being accepted, but when he was, it “was the proudest day” for his father. Joe Sr., also shared carpentry with his son, and they often worked on projects together. Joe Jr., who had three small children, was building a dollhouse for one of his daughters that he never had the chance to finish.

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Lt. Daniel O’Callaghan

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Lieutenant Daniel O’Callaghan of Ladder 4 was promoted to Captain on September 10, 2011. He had two young children at home and when he worked a 24-hour shift, he left post-it notes throughout the house for his family to find with smiley faces and sweet notes written on them. His wife wrote that he always carried a prayer card in his pocket with a book of matches stapled to it. It was his “lucky charm,” but on 9/11 he left it behind. In March of 2012, he and his men were recovered in the ruins of the South Tower.

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Capt. David Wooley

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David Wooley, 54, was Captain of Ladder 4. Besides being a successful 31-year veteran of the FDNY, he also had a profitable business on the side hanging wallpaper with his son and firefighter brother. This job including hanging wallpaper in the Westchester home of the Clintons. Though they did not share political leanings, afterwards he told his son that they were “nice and personable.”

Engine 54/Ladder 4/Battalion 9, “The Pride of Midtown.” lost every man who responded on 9/11, and they were one of the first houses to respond.  Painted on the door of their firehouse are the comedy and tragedy masks with the line “Never Missed a Performance.” Their firehouse is in the heart of Broadway.

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Firefighter Christopher Santora

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Firefighter Christopher Santora received a perfect score of 100 on both the physical and written tests for the FDNY. He had joined the department in February and was still a probie. He gave up an early career as a teacher to become a firefighter, following in the footsteps of his father, a retired Deputy Chief. His shift had just ended that Tuesday morning, but he jumped on his truck and rode in heavy with his crew. Like so many of his fellow firefighters, his community renamed a street for him after 9/11. They also named an early childbood school in his honor.

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Firefighter Leonard Ragaglia

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There are a lot of firefighters who began their civic career with the police. I’m not at all sure the career change goes nearly as often in the other direction.
 Firefighter Leonard Ragaglia was one of them. Nine years with the NYPD yielded meritorious citations, including his precinct’s “policeman of the year,” for evacuating several families from a burning building. Third of 11 children, he eventually followed his father into the FDNY in 1993. Tall and fit, he was also highly competitive. “When everyone was complaining, he would just go,” said one of his Engine 54 colleagues.

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Firefighter Jose Guadalupe

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Firefighter Jose Guadalupe, 37, had many interests outside firefighting and was a mentor to the young boys in his neighborhood in Jamaica, Queens. He loved to draw, ski, and play basketball and was an avid reader interested in a wide range of subjects, from physics to history. He had recently taken up the guitar and especially admired Jimmy Hendrix. “Stone Free” was one of his favorites.

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Firefighter Paul Gill

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Firefighter Paul Gill, 34, made his first fire rescue before he even became a firefighter. Walking down the street in Queens, he noticed smoke coming from a building and heard a woman screaming for help. He climbed the fire escape and brought both mother and baby to safety before the fire department arrived. He was a carpenter at the time, but this confirmed his true calling and he joined the FDNY in 1999. He continued carpentry jobs on the side to help cover the steep medical expenses of his two sons, one of whom had required a kidney transplant.

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Firefighter Alan Feinberg

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Firefighter Alan Feinberg, 48, was the aide to the Battalion Chief at Engine 54. Four years into his marriage he switched jobs and joined the FDNY. He compensated for his cut in pay by also becoming Mr. Mom, taking advantage of a firefighter’s flexible hours to take care of his two kids. When the kids got older, his second job played to his love of fancy cars. He transported them to the automotive press to be reviewed. “He was doing what he wanted to do,” said his wife. “He was very happy.”

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Firefighter Carl Asaro

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Carl Asaro, 39, of Battalion 9 was a Deadhead who held a memorial service/barbecue for Jerry Garcia back in 1995. This 39-year-old music-loving firefighter was a father of six and also a film and TV extra, often playing a firefighter or paramedic on shows like “The Sopranos.” He dreamed of one day graduating to a speaking role.

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Lt. Charles Garbarini

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Nicknamed “The Comedian,” Lt. Charles Garbarini, 44, had a business card that read: “You light ’em, we fight ’em.” Growing up the middle child in a family of nine, he learned early to use his humor to his advantage. “Nobody gets out of more work than I do,” he would declare. Engaged for 10 years and married for five, he left behind two young children.

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