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.