Cont'd from Manuel's Home Page
One
blast, and Anna Vecchione on the sixth floor knew he was waiting. So did
people
blocks away.
After they married, moved to Bellmore, N.Y., and became the parents of Stephanie
and little Manny, that whistle reverberated across Little League fields, where
he coached with his firefighting buddy and fellow Yankee fan, Bernard Floody.
Manny Mo was a confident, low-key guy with a big heart, a king of the backyard
barbecue, Firefighter Floody said.
Perhaps because Firefighter Mojica, 37, was the middle child between his sisters
Vinia and Letty, he was a natural peacemaker. So when Squad Company 18 of
Manhattan, a rescue unit, went to a call, he calmed the frightened. To calm
his frightened
wife, he never spoke of the harrowing fires. But even a Harley man with a
screeching whistle had a comforting ritual: After a shift, no matter the hour,
Manny Mo
always had a bedtime snack of milk and cookies. Profile published in THE NEW
YORK TIMES on August 11, 2002.
Manuel Mojica Jr. loved being a New York City firefighter, and the 37-year-old
Bellmore resident was on duty as usual the day two planes struck the trade
center. He was among the first to arrive, his wife, Anna, said. "He was a courageous man," she said. "He wouldn't turn his back on anyone."
Mojica loved being with his family and going to the gym, she said. The couple
had been married for 10 years and had two children. "He was a beautiful man," she said. "He was a loving father and husband. He was my best friend." Profile
courtesy of THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
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