Ruben Correa, 44, was a 13-year veteran of the FDNY. He was the only member of Engine 74 to not make it home on 9/11. Besides his job and his family, Ruben loved riding his mountain bike and fishing. He and his wife of 21 years had three daughters.
His fellow firefighter John Breen told the story of Engine 74 arriving on site this way. “Ruben was one of the senior guys and he said, ‘stay close to me. Loosen your coat; don’t overheat.’ Then he said, ‘Look, I’m scared too. We have to put that in the back of our minds.'” They were assigned to the 22-story Marriott Hotel which was on the southwest corner of WTC2.
I will tell the story of the Marriott in the next post.