Gregory Joseph Buck

Firefighter Was at Top Of Class as Nurse, Too
October 5, 2001

When firefighter Greg Buck left for work the morning of Sept. 11, he asked his dad to please walk his dog, Emily, since he was running late. He arrived at the Brooklyn firehouse in time, however, to race with Engine Co. 201 to the burning towers of the World Trade Center.

In a search for survivors, he and three other company members entered the South Tower 10 minutes before it collapsed upon them. "I wish I could give more details - we just don't know what happened to them," said company captain Luke Lynch. He described Buck as "a great firefighter."

"I don't know a person who loved his job as much Greg did. He always had a smile on his face," said his father, Ernie.

Buck, 37, was also a licensed nurse, having graduated from Staten Island University training at the top of his class six years ago, his father said. Two weeks after graduation he was called to the New York City Fire Department.

He did equally well in his fire department exam, "scoring 100," his father said. "He was part of an elite class."

Born in Brooklyn, Buck graduated from Xaverian High School there and attended college for two years. He and his wife, Katherine, were married two years ago and lived on Staten Island. His mother, Josephine, is a retired New York City schoolteacher, and a brother, Eric, is a retired city police sergeant.

In his spare time, Buck loved to make furniture, and he and his father often worked together on carpentry projects. --Rhoda Amon (Newsday)

Greg Buck was a firefighter, but he also was an accomplished pianist, woodworker,cook and registered nurse.
“No matter what he did or took on, he always excelled at it,” said fellow firefighter MikeConroy. Buck was among the firefighters lost at the World Trade Center. His wife, CatherineBuck, said her husband’s ability to listen was among his best talents. “He was very special,”she said. The couple, who married two years ago, were buying their first home when tragedystruck Sept. 11. Since then, his wife has closed on the 1940s home she and her husband pickedout.

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