I served in the Marine Corps with Gsgt. Garvey and Master Sgt. Curtin at 6th Communications Battalion. Police Officer Thomas Brophy was my parents next door neighbor and I knew him from Gold's Gym in Smithtown. All three hereos will be missed but will stay alive in the hearts and minds of all their friends and family. I am truly honored to have known these great human beings and hope that I could be half the men they were!
RIP Brothers
Semper fidelis "Always Faithfull"
CAMP COMMANDO, Kuwait (CNN) --Marines in Kuwait honored three of their own -- two firemen and a policeman -- who were killed when the World Trade Center collapsed September 11, 2001.
Marines of the 6th Communications Battalion from Brooklyn, New Tork, took part in the ceremony Friday at Camp Commando in the northern Kuwaiti desert. Sgt. Major Mike Curtin, Gunnery Sgt. Matt Garvey and Sgt. Charlie Anaya were members of the battalion when they died.
Camp Commando is usually a flurry of activity and dust as U.S. and British soldiers prepare for possible action in Iraq.
But the 6th Communications tent area was quiet Friday as the Marines unveiled three bright red signs with red lettering naming roads in the camp after the three: Michael Curtin Way, Matthew Garvey Lane and Charlie Anaya Avenue.
Staff Sgt. Steven Parides said the ceremony "gives us a good reason of why we are here today." A volunteer fireman, Parides knew Garvey and Curtin.
Describing Curtin, Parides said, "He kept the company as a family. He had a gentle side of him. Whereas Matt Garvey was all Marine all the time."
Staff Sgt. Nelson Hernandez said of Curtin, "He was very friendly. Some of the Marines, sometimes they get hard-nosed. He wasn't like that. He was a father figure."
Curtin is remembered for rescuing 28 people trapped on the roof of the World Trade Center building after a terrorist bomb exploded in 1993. He also was part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency team responding to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
Curtin also is credited with directing his men to safety before his death when the World Trade Center's south tower fell.
Garvey was a Marine for 10 years before becoming a New York firefighter. He was a member of Squad 1, an elite group of specialized firemen. Garvey was last seen entering the trade center's north tower.
Anaya was on active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1991. After deactivation, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter with the New York Fire Department. On September 11, Anaya evacuated civilians from the north tower, reaching the 28th floor before the building came down.
Marines of the 6th Communications Battalion from Brooklyn, New Tork, took part in the ceremony Friday at Camp Commando in the northern Kuwaiti desert. Sgt. Major Mike Curtin, Gunnery Sgt. Matt Garvey and Sgt. Charlie Anaya were members of the battalion when they died.
Camp Commando is usually a flurry of activity and dust as U.S. and British soldiers prepare for possible action in Iraq.
But the 6th Communications tent area was quiet Friday as the Marines unveiled three bright red signs with red lettering naming roads in the camp after the three: Michael Curtin Way, Matthew Garvey Lane and Charlie Anaya Avenue.
Staff Sgt. Steven Parides said the ceremony "gives us a good reason of why we are here today." A volunteer fireman, Parides knew Garvey and Curtin.
Describing Curtin, Parides said, "He kept the company as a family. He had a gentle side of him. Whereas Matt Garvey was all Marine all the time."
Staff Sgt. Nelson Hernandez said of Curtin, "He was very friendly. Some of the Marines, sometimes they get hard-nosed. He wasn't like that. He was a father figure."
Curtin is remembered for rescuing 28 people trapped on the roof of the World Trade Center building after a terrorist bomb exploded in 1993. He also was part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency team responding to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
Curtin also is credited with directing his men to safety before his death when the World Trade Center's south tower fell.
Garvey was a Marine for 10 years before becoming a New York firefighter. He was a member of Squad 1, an elite group of specialized firemen. Garvey was last seen entering the trade center's north tower.
Anaya was on active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1991. After deactivation, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter with the New York Fire Department. On September 11, Anaya evacuated civilians from the north tower, reaching the 28th floor before the building came down.
Sergeant Michael Curtin New York City Police DepartmentNew YorkEnd of Watch: Tuesday, September 11, 2001Cause: Terrorist attack
Biographical InfoAge: 45Tour of Duty: 13 yearsBadge Number: 3256
Sergeant Michael Curtin was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while attempting to rescue the victims trapped in the World Trade Center. Sergeant Curtin was a US Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He had served with the New York City Police Department for 13 years and was assigned to ESU Truck 2. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and brother. He was posthumously awarded the New York City Police Department's Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.On the morning of September 11, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed two of four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. After the impact of the first plane, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved. As the evacuation continued, the first tower unexpectedly collapsed due as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The second tower collapsed a short time later. 71 law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash. The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon.The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.On September 9, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill, and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers killed in this terrorist attack.
Visit Sergeant Curtin's memorial at http://www.odmp.org/
Name : Brophy, Thomas
Rank: P.O.
Shield #: 6957
Command: 109 Pct.
Date of Death: 2005-04-01
Cause of Death: 9-11 related illness
Police Officer Thomas G. Brophy died in April 2005 from metastatic colon cancer that was caused by inhaling toxic materials while partaking in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Officer Brophy gave 11 years of service in the 114th and 109th Precincts and Fleet Services Division. He too received recognition for excellent police duty. Officer Brophy worked in the rescue, recovery and clean-up effort at the World Trade Center as well as covered various posts in Lower Manhattan after the attacks. He is survived by his wife Rita and son Matthew, mother Janice, brother Brian, a New York State Trooper, father Tom, brother Justin and sister Erica.
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