Firefighter
Michael Cammarata
Ladder
11
Memorial Service was held
on October 5, 2001
A
day after Michael Cammarata died in the attack on the World Trade Center,
his brother,
Joseph, went through his things looking for a birth certificate.
On the top drawer of Michael's night table, Joseph found a letter -- the
kind of letter that a brother never wants to read. It was a what-to-do list
in case something happened to him.
No. 1 on the list: "Take care of Jenna," referring to his girlfriend of seven
years.
No. 2: "Don't mourn me. This is the career I chose." Michael Cammarata, 22, was
a firefighter with Ladder Company 11 in Manhattan. He died on the ninth week
of a 14-week training program. He lived with his parents in Huguenot, Staten
Island.
No. 3: "Make my spirit live on." No. 4: "Remember I love you all and will be
waiting for you upstairs." From the time he was 7, Michael Cammarata wanted to
be a firefighter. He was fascinated by fire engines and trucks. In his fireman's
test, which he took with his brother, Michael got a perfect score; Joseph did
not. "They wanted to be together," his mother, Linda Cammarata said of her two
sons. "Thank God they didn't." Joseph, 24, is a police officer. On Jan. 14, he,
too, will join the Fire Department.
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