Firefighter Robert Cordice
Engine 152
(Working in Squad 1)

Memorial Service was held
on November 9, 2001.

'He Craved the Action'

When Firefighter Robert Cordice disappeared on Sept. 11, so did the dreams of dozens of bachelorettes.

Firefighter Cordice, 28, was a handsome, hulking man, a lover of good drink, beautiful women and fast motorcycles. He was to be a pinup boy, making the cut for the 2002 Fire Department Hunks calendar.

"The picture is of him downtown on the Wall Street bull with his shirt off, wearing his bunker pants and suspenders and boots," said his longtime friend John Deliso.

Like so many other firefighters, he wanted to be in the thick of the smoke. He was stationed at Engine Company 152 in Staten Island, and decided that he wanted to work somewhere more busy and daring. He transferred to the elite Squad 1 unit in Brooklyn. He had been there only two weeks.

He was also a New York City police officer for three years before joining the Fire Department, stationed at the 13th Precinct in Manhattan.

"No matter what he was doing, he craved the action," Mr. Deliso said.
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 17, 2001.

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