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| Funeral Planned for Last WTC Firefighter |
| 2003-08-31 |
| (August 31, 2003 12:38 PM EDT Associated Press) In case Some people might have forgotten.... NEW YORK - A vial of blood is all that will be buried at firefighter Michael Ragusa’s funeral next week, nearly two years after he was killed in the World Trade Center attack. The 29-year-old will be the last of the 343 firefighter victims to be memorialized in an official service. His family had hoped his remains would be identified, but his mother, Dee Ragusa, said Sunday that they decided they had waited long enough. "We always knew in our hearts when it would be the right time, when we would say, ’enough,’" she said. Of the 2,792 people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, the medical examiner has identified remains of just over half. Scientists expect to exhaust all available DNA technology in the attempt to identify the rest as early as next year, although unidentified remains will be stored in case new methods are developed. Many families held memorial services before any remains were identified, but Ragusa’s family delayed an official ceremony. His parents decided to hold a funeral after the July wedding of their younger son. Now that does not sound like a good way to spend a honeymoon to me, but they probably have their reasons. "We got him happily married, and now it was time to take care of Michael," Dee Ragusa said. Instead of the firefighter’s remains, his family will bury a vial of blood he had donated to a bone marrow center. The vial will be interred at a cemetery on Staten Island after the funeral Sept. 8. Dee Ragusa said that if she could not have her son’s intact body to bury, she was glad to have the vial of blood. "I’d much rather have a bottle of blood that flowed through him while he was alive than parts of his body," she said. You know when you clear away all the grandstanding and presidential campaining and political bullcrap and get right down to the bare metal. This is what counts. I dont see Gepheart or Kerry or Maureen Dowd (NY Times) honoring this victim. This person, and the 2791 like him (not to mention everyone else endangered) are the reason we are doing what we are doing. I would like to take my hat off to this guy and say "Thank you". |
| Posted by:GregJ |
| #11 The movie's already been made: "9/11," by a pair of brothers who tagged along with a fire crew that fateful morning. They're the ones who happened to get the footage of the first impact. They were with the team who found the body of the FDNY's chaplain, who was killed by falling debris (IIRC, he got death certificate #1). By some miracle, none of the people from that firehouse died.... though they were all smack in the middle of it -- they were rolling for the WTC before the call even went out. That is what ALL of the networks should be showing on Thursday instead of their primetime drivel. |
| Posted by: Steffan 2003-9-10 12:18:22 AM |
| #10 May God continue to keep the soul of Michael Ragusa and may He continue to comfort his family. It sounds as if having this service may finally give them some closure. On 9/11, some gave all and all gave some. Michael clearly gave his all--Thank you, hero. We will never forget. |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2003-9-1 11:25:52 AM |
| #9 Never forget. God bless you, Michael. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-8-31 5:39:16 PM |
| #8 Hmmm... I dont think you can show 9/11 in a mere movie -- the medium is simply insufficiant to express the story correctly. One of the things the terrorst thought we (americans) would do after 9/11 would be to put our tail between our legs and hide our head in the sand. Fortunately we haven't (except for the above mentioned asshats Katie Couric and Matt Lauer) but came out swinging. They are expecting that we do the same in Iraq (run away with our tail between our legs). But we won't. Too bad for them. |
| Posted by: GregJ 2003-8-31 5:33:28 PM |
| #7 I think we can all do without Katie Couric and Matt Lauer "tribute" that turns into a "are we safer now?" A perfect 9-11 movie would focus on the firehouse that lost its chaplain to impact with a jumper. It would show enough about the firefighters themselves to humanize their sacrifice. Movies about 9-11 would have to be for the big screen due to scale and lack of commercials. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-8-31 4:54:19 PM |
| #6 You will note he'd also volunteered to be a bone-marrow donor. Since they still had his blood in storage, it appears that he volunteered not for an afflicted family member, but for any stranger whose blood factors happened to match and who needed a bone marrow transfer in order to live. Some guys gave all, even before The Day. But if ya gotta go.... |
| Posted by: Richard Aubrey 2003-8-31 3:34:28 PM |
#5 I would like to see the guy who wrote Blackhawk Down take a shot at the WTC masacre I would like to see the goddam media give the 9/11 anniversary the loud, long, up-front coverage it deserves instead of trying to sweep it under the rug and hope no one notices so we can Unfortunately, you'll probably get your wish a long time before I do. Rest in peace, Michael. No matter how hard the "mainstream" media tries to make it happen, we will NEVER forget. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2003-8-31 2:42:22 PM |
| #4 After a certain point I would like to see the guy who wrote Blackhawk Down take a shot at the WTC masacre. Blackhawk seems to have done justice to the heroism of the men who died in Somalia. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-8-31 2:24:26 PM |
| #3 Your shift's finally over, Michael. Thank you, and rest in peace. You earned it. |
| Posted by: Baba Yaga 2003-8-31 1:53:21 PM |
| #2 I would like to take my hat off to this guy and say "Thank you". I think you just did, and I'd like to join you Frank |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-31 1:45:16 PM |
| #1 Rest in Peace, Michael, and thanks from a grateful nation. |
| Posted by: seafarious 2003-8-31 1:33:41 PM |