By Jerry Burke
The year 2001, however, was far from normal.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men. Before Sept. 11, many residents of Elmont, Franklin Square and West Hempstead may not have known the eight men being honored as 2001's People of the Year. Some may have lived just down the block from them; others may have bumped into them at the grocery store only a few days before.
A few of us may have been at least casual acquaintances, or maybe went to high school with one of them. Some knew these people very well, calling them friend, brother, son, husband, or father. After Sept. 11, they came to be known to all by one word.
Hero.
Five of them were New York City Firefighters. One, a New York City Police Officer; another an Emergency Medical Technician. And the last was a West Hempstead Fire Commissioner who was just supposed to be working at his normal job as a purchasing manager.
All of them died doing what they had already sacrificed so much for in life, and yet loved doing. They stared upwards at the sight of two towering infernos and went into them with only one thought: to save the lives of others.
All of them represent, in the opinion of the Herald, the absolute best our communities have to offer. Until Sept. 11, many of their exploits were known to the public yet not fully appreciated. None of us will know exactly what they did that day, but the final measure of their courage will never be forgotten.
That Tuesday morning, the sun was shining and the city of New York was gearing up for an otherwise normal weekday. The World Trade Center, the financial capital of the world, was only beginning to fill up to it's normal capacity of 50,000 employees and visitors.
The first attack came at 8:45 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire. Most area fire stations were immediately dispatched to the scene.
At 9:03 a.m., a second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center and exploded. With both buildings burning, police, fire and emergency workers frantically attempted to evacuate those still inside.
An hour later, any hope of the buildings withstanding the attack disappeared as the south tower collapsed into the street below. Less than a half-hour later, the north tower followed. Over the next few weeks, the massive effort to find more victims alive under the rubble would slowly evolve from a rescue to a recovery, and countless memorials and funerals began.
The Herald's People of the Year for 2001 are Police Officer Ronald Phillip Kloepfer, Firefighters Robert Evans and Michael Kiefer of Franklin Square; Firefighter Thomas Hetzel of Elmont; Firefighters Robert Linnane and John Fanning, EMT Mark Schwartz and Fire Commissioner Robert DeAngelis, Jr., of West Hempstead.
Ronald Kloepfer
Kloepfer, 39, was one of 23 New York City Police Officers and one of four members of the elite Emergency Service Unit who perished on Sept. 11. Besides his wife, Dawn, his mother and six brothers and sisters, Kloepfer is survived by three children, Jamie, 11, Taylor, 9, and Casey, 4.
Mourners came to St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Franklin Square to say farewell to Kloepfer on October 8. Inside the church were artifacts that represented much of Kloepfer's life: his gun, a lacrosse stick, a family picture and another of him in his uniform.
New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attended the service, saying I did not have the honor of knowing Ronald. But I think I know what he was like.
I would like the children to know, Giuliani continued, that their father was a fallen warrior and a patriot.
The avid lacrosse fan who started up the force's official team five years ago was also recently honored at Nassau Coliseum, where the first NYPD versus FDNY lacrosse match was held before a New York Saints game. The event raised $50,000 for the families of those who died.
Robert Evans
Mourners gathered along New Hyde Park Road in Franklin Square near St. Catherine of Sienna Roman Catholic Church to say good-bye to Robert Evans on November 28.
A jack of all trades, the 36-year-old Evans had worked as a cook, air conditioning/heating repair man and vacuum supplies salesman before finding his calling as a firefighter. With every job, remembered his family, his professionalism shined through.
Members of his Greenwich Village-based Engine 33 called him Jerry Lewis because his mannerisms and sense of humor reminded them of the comedian. Despite his wonderful sense of humor, his captain, Robert McLoughlin, said he was very serious about his work. He was about as professional as we could get on the job today.
Family members recalled his love of sport, especially boxing. He was always trying to prove his manhood, said stepfather Starling Serafin. Such displays of machismo included his climbing of the Franklin Square Water Tower and his participation in the Golden Gloves boxing competition.
During the memorial, Mayor Giuliani said, He didn't emerge by accident as a firefighter. All the lessons you taught him made him what he was. You should take pride in being the relative of an American hero.
Michael Kiefer
Kiefer, a Franklin Square native, always had a deep desire to be a firefighter. A member of Ladder 132 in the Bronx, he attended John Jay College in Manhattan because of its Fire Department cadet program and became an Emergency Medical Service worker to help speed his path toward firefighting.
Kiefer also served as a volunteer firefighter in Franklin Square and later Freeport and Hempstead. Colleagues in his unit called him Mike the Keeper, meaning they wanted him to stay on after he finished his 10-month probationary tour, which was to be over in October. The last time anyone saw him, he was rushing into the burning South Tower with his unit and disappeared up the stairs.
Bill Quick, 20-year FDNY veteran and friend of Kiefer, said He would pry and ask me how to fight fires, how to force open doors, how to open a roof. He kept asking all the time. Quick went on to say It's a terrible thing to die. If you have to die, you should die doing something you love.
At the age of 25, Kiefer left this world doing just that.
Thomas Hetzel
On October 9, the funeral for one of New York City's fallen brothers, Thomas Hetzel of Elmont, was held at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hempstead.
Hetzel, 33, grew up in Franklin Square and studied liberal arts at Nassau Community College, but he always knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a firefighter since we were kids said his younger sister Doreen.
He began as a volunteer with the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department at the age of 18. He loved what he did, remembered FSMFD Commissioner Doris Griffin. He was dedicated and was one of our best. He will be missed.
Hetzel was serving with Ladder 13 when he died in the line of duty. He was last seen running up the stairs of Two World Trade Center by other firefighters running down with wounded victims. He was one of nine members of his firehouse lost that day.
The H. Frank Carey High School graduate also leaves behind his wife Diana and his two year-old daughter Amanda.
Robert Linnane
On Saturday, Oct. 6, a memorial mass for firefighter Robert Linnane was held at St. Thomas Church. The 33-year-old was a member of Ladder Company 20. His squad, based in Manhattan, was one of the first on the scene. He and six colleagues were lost in the collapse.
Friends recalled his absolute passion for the job, saying that he loved every minute of it. He began his two years of service with Engine 219 and Ladder 105 in Brooklyn. He had been with Ladder 20 only a short time before the attack.
Linnane was survived by his brothers, John and Vincent, his sister-in-law Janice and his beloved niece Samantha.
John J. Fanning
For 30 years, Jack Fanning was on the forefront of firefighting excellence. The 54-year-old was the head of the Hazardous Materials Operation Unit (Haz-Mat) and played a crucial role in many high-profile rescue efforts, including the 1993 World Trade Center and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings.
At his Oct. 6 memorial, Fanning was remembered as one of the top anti-terrorism experts in the country whose techniques and preparedness saved many of those rescued on Sept. 11. Despite his stature, one friend described him as just someone real cool and normal.
Fanning is survived by his wife of 15 years, Maureen, and their two sons Sean, 13, and Patrick, 5, as well as three children from a previous marriage: Ryan, Jeremy and Jacqueline.
He and Maureen were planning to establish a residential home on Long Island that would give autistic children, like his sons Sean and Patrick, an opportunity to acclimate themselves into society. The Jack Fanning Memorial Trust, C/O James Herbst, 307 Bordeaux Lane, Cary, NC 27511, has been established to do just that.
Mark Schwartz
Schwartz, an Emergency Medical Technician, died on Sept. 11 as he lived: helping others. The 50 year-old West Hempsteader was the assistant vice-president at Hunter Ambulance in Inwood and was among the first wave of rescuers to arrive after the twin towers were hit.
Schwartz was born in Brooklyn and raised in Bensonhurst. He attended Lafayette High School and worked in the dry cleaning business for about ten years before he decided to take EMT classes.
He joined the Rosedale Ambulance Corp. as a volunteer soon afterward. He worked at Hunter, a private ambulance service, for 15 years before his passing.
He was also active in the Five Towns Community Chest Fair, volunteering to help his community anyway he could.
According to his wife, Patti, he was a man who worked a lot. His work was his life. Schwartz also leaves behind his daughter Jennifer, 22, and son Andrew, 20. He was already our hero, said Patti. He didn't have to die to become our hero.
Robert J. DeAngelis, Jr.
DeAngelis, 48, wasn't wearing a uniform on Sept. 11. He was in a suit and tie at his 91st floor Tower One office, working as a purchasing manager in the Washington Group. When the planes hit, he calmly guided his co-workers out.
Having faith that the buildings would stand, he returned to his office to answer the phone calls of families searching desperately for their loved ones. He would tell them that they were out and safe. Minutes later, Tower Two collapsed, and the phones went silent.
On Saturday, Oct. 27, he was remembered at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hempstead. Father Brian Barr told guests of how DeAngelis, a former altar boy, would often open the church for early morning services and set up the altar for Mass. DeAngelis attended St. Thomas the Apostle School and then West Hempstead High School, later graduating from New York Institute of Technology.
He was also a Commissioner for the West Hempstead Fire District, as well as a firefighter and ex-Chief of the Lakeview Fire Department. For 29 years, he devoted himself to making his hometown a safer place.
Known on an international level as a calming influence and wonderful Elvis impersonator, DeAngelis left behind his wife Denise, daughters Jenna and Lisa, brother Paul and sisters Joan and Mary. At the funeral, his daughter Jenna remembered her father for what he did that day. I guess I love him the most for going back in without a moment's hesitation. That's what a fireman would do.
The West Hempstead Civic Association recently announced that DeAngelis will be honored as the West Hempsteader of the Year.
Initial reports on Sept. 11 estimated the missing at almost 7,000. Since then, the number has been lowered to just under 3,000.
While the total is still devastating, the fact that these men contributed to what Mayor Giuliani aptly called the greatest rescue effort in the history of the United States is remarkable: estimates put the number of those successfully removed from the buildings at 25,000 people. For that alone they will never be forgotten.
