I’m now an Emergency Physician. I used to have a business doing commercial diving, ship repair, and architectural metal work. I started as a bohemian artist living on the lower east side of Manhattan in the early 80’s. Three of my best friends who lived there also were firefighters who were also actors, one very famous now. I used to ride with one of them in the South Bronx just for fun and the other worked in Little Italy where we’d also hang out a lot. I was volunteering in my neighborhood hospital in Brooklyn before going to Med School and became friends with the guys from squad 1. My good friend who was the firefighter from long before who worked in the south Bronx was a lieutenant at Squad 1 for a short period and so I got to know those guys better. I also did work once for Howard Lutkin, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald at his home (some metal work) and had 3 friends who worked for him in the North Tower. (Howard missed it because he was taking his kid to school that day). I did work in the Trade Centers; again, metal work; when a new company would take over a floor and renovate it. The last work we did was around 1998 in the north tower, a bunch of gun metaled steel trim for the offices of a brokerage firm (I think). Squad 1 lost 12 guys, but I also lost a friendfrom Ladder 11 in my old neighborhood on the Lower East Side. They used to come out in the early 80’s, coming down 2nd street back when they’d still ride on the back step of the truck and instead of a siren they’d play the William Tell Overture over the loud speaker, haha. Then a guy from Ladder 3 who I knew from drinking at McSorely Cafe in SoHo.The other friend was a British guy who just happened to be having a business breakfast at Windows on the World that day.
