Monday, January 26, 2015 workout is dedicated to Scott Larsen, FDNY, Ladder 15, who was killed on September 11, 2001. With his mothers arms around him, baby August jiggled a colorful toy, unaware that the coffin next to him bore the body of the father he never met. August was born Sept. 13, two days after city Firefighter Scott Larsen, 35, died while rushing up the stairs of the World Trade Centers south tower. During a funeral service yesterday at Sacred Heart Church in Glendale, Queens, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta asked Augusts siblings - Marissa, 9, Brenda, 8, and Scott, 4 - to keep Larsens memory alive so that August can one day learn to love and admire the man who is still a stranger to him. When your brother grows up, a choked-up Scoppetta said to the children, tell August that his father was not only a New York City firefighter, but that he was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and that he was one of the heroes who participated in the greatest rescue operation in the history of this nation. Larsen was assigned to Ladder 163 in Woodside, but on Sept. 11, he was working on rotation at Ladder 15 in lower Manhattan, the second company to make it to the scene of the terror attacks. Though his time at the FDNY was short - he was a city firefighter for two years - Larsen captivated his brethren with a smile so genuine that it was remembered by all who worked with him. If you look deep into everyones eyes, if you look beyond their sorrow, beyond their tears, youll see Scotts smile flashing bright, Firefighter Gerry Brannigan of Ladder 163 told the 600 who packed Sacred Heart, about half of them firefighters. Also in attendance were Mayor Bloomberg and Libby Pataki, the governors wife. Wheres the flour? Fire Lt. John Viola of Ladder 15 made the crowd laugh when he told them about his first encounter with Larsen. He said, Good morning, lieut, Im Scott Larsen, the new rotator. Wheres the flour? and I thought about how great it was that the guy was in the station for only five minutes and was already going to prepare our meal, Viola said. But when Viola handed Larsen three bags of flour, he tore open the bags and dumped the flour out the window, straight on two other rotators who were standing outside. As Larsens brother-in-law Gary Madonna put it, Scott always had schemes rolling around his head. Before becoming a firefighter, Larsen was a city bus driver.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 04:05:00 +0000