Firefighter
George Cain
Ladder 7
Laid
to Rest
on March 9,2002
His
Family Searched for Him in the Rubble
September 27, 2001
Firefighter
George Cain was preparing to run the New York City marathon
this fall. "He always kept himself in good condition. He
was a skier, a golfer, a mountain climber. Most of all, he was
a people person," said his mother, Rosemary, of Massapequa.
"There
was nothing he wouldn't do to help people. He was the first
one off the truck."
The
World Trade Center alarm came minutes before Cain, 35, was to
complete his shift with Ladder Co. 7 of Manhattan's Battalion
8. He was climbing the stairs in search of survivors when one
of the towers collapsed.
His
cousin, fire Lt. George Healy of Lynbrook, searched in the rubble
for him every day in the days following the disaster.
Rosemary
Cain said she's had an outpouring of supportive messages from
neighbors of the 29th Street firehouse, who "all loved
George."
She
recently appeared on Fox TV news to talk about her son and other
missing firefighters. "I needed to do something for my
son, to let people know who he was," she said. When one
firefighter is lost, she said, "we learn everything about
him. But now there are so many, I'm afraid they'll just be names
on a list. But each one had a different personality. Each had
a family who loved him."
Born
in Woodside, Queens, George Cain grew up in Massapequa and graduated
from Massapequa High School in 1984. A firefighter for seven
years, he loved the camaraderie of the firehouse. "I didn't
worry when he went off to work because I know they look after
each other," his mother said. --Rhoda Amon (Newsday)
NY
Times Article
Engine
16
Newsday
Article
Engine
16 Fund
