By Jason Scheer
Wiener, a former resident of both Lynbrook and Valley Stream, and an 11-year veteran and ex-captain of Lynbrook's Tally-Ho Engine Company No. 3, was killed in what Pentagon officials described as a "combat-related incident." Subsequent reports indicate that Wiener was killed during a four-hour firefight that erupted after insurgents used a suicide bomb to level a civilian hospital.
Wiener was buried in Calverton National Cemetery on Monday after a heartfelt wake and ceremony at O.B. Davis Funeral Home in Miller Place. Ten ladder trucks dotted the entrance to the cemetery, with American flags hanging between two extended ladders forming a fitting archway for a fallen hero. Local firefighters and EMS personnel, as well as representatives from Wiener's Louisville, Ky., neighborhood attended the funeral to pay their respects.
Wiener leaves behind his wife and high-school sweetheart, Maria, as well as their two daughters, Mikayla Lynn, 5, and Theodora Rose, 2.
On May 15, the Tally-Ho Company and the Lynbrook Fire Department held a memorial service in Wiener's honor. Josh Felix, captain of Tally-Ho, offered a glimpse into the man who meant so much to so many.
Wiener was born on May 26, 1973, and grew up in Hutcheson Place in Lynbrook. He displayed a passion for volunteer work at age 14, when he joined the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department. In 1991, shortly after turning 18 and graduating from Lynbrook High School, Wiener joined Tally-Ho.
His dedication took him up through the ranks quickly, and he was elected second lieutenant of Tally-Ho in April of 1997 and captain in 2000.
Felix said that Wiener was so affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, that he joined the Navy and became a corpsman. In the Navy, Wiener showed the same dedication he displayed as a firefighter. "Jeff and his family always knew there was a possible chance of injury or death in joining the military, and a chance he would be sent to war," Felix said. "But Jeff was never one to shy away from his duties or his dreams.
"Whether it was with Tally-Ho, leading the members in fighting a fire, or directing the extrication of an injured person from a car wreck - or later saving lives in war - Jeff was dedicated to every job or assignment that he took on."
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