Post by scannerman5555 on Nov 30, 2004 22:02:34 GMT -5
NYC firefighter killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
November 30, 2004, 8:27 PM EST
A New York City firefighter serving with the Army National Guard in Iraq was killed when his vehicle came under attack outside Baghdad, city officials said Tuesday.
Sgt. Christian P. Engeldrum, 39, who was killed Monday, is the first firefighter _ or city employee of any kind _ to die in Iraq since the U.S.-led war began, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
"I join all New Yorkers in mourning his loss and pray that his family finds comfort in the innumerable ways he touched so many lives," the mayor said in a statement.
Another New York firefighter, Daniel J. Swift, 24, of Ladder Co. 43 in Manhattan, was riding in the same vehicle and suffered shrapnel wounds, Bloomberg said. Swift was in Germany for treatment and was expected to recover.
Engeldrum was a five-year fire veteran who served with Ladder Co. 61 in the Bronx, and previously served as a police officer in the 47th Precinct, the statement said.
Engeldrum was cited for bravery on July 15, 2000, after his company successfully rescued two people from a fire. He was on active duty in the Army from 1986 to 1991.
At the Ladder 61 firehouse in the Bronx where Engeldrum served, a "We Support Our Troops" banner that bore his name was replaced Tuesday with black-and-purple bunting to signify mourning.
"He was a great fireman," fire Lt. Brian Horton told reporters at the Bronx firehouse. "He was 100 percent soldier. He loved his country, and he loved being a fireman. He was a lucky man _ he got to do what he loved."
Funeral arrangements were pending for Engeldrum, who was survived by a wife and two sons.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta offered condolences to the family and said Engeldrum's "commitment to serving his country sets the example for all of us."
Engeldrum was among 135 U.S. troops killed in Iraq in November, matching April of this year as the deadliest month since the war began in March 2003, according to Pentagon figures.
Further details about the attack on the vehicle were not immediately released by the Defense Department.
A listing for the family could not immediately be located.
from Newsday Online edtion 11/30/04 11:00 Pm