He Died As He Lived - Unafraid

 

Lt. Robert B. Nagel 

FDNY - Engine 58

End of Watch:  September 11, 2001

Robert B. Nagel served the people of New York City for twenty-eight years as a member of the FDNY.  Prior to that, he served the people of the United States as a member of the United States Army. 

Lt. Nagel lived in Manhattan with his wife, Janet, and the couple's daughter, Bridget.  In addition to his family and the FDNY, Lt. Nagel loved history and science-fiction.  According to Janet, he also loved being direct with people.  He was - in a word - blunt.  

Lt. Nagel was the only member of Engine 58 killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  According to FF John Wilson of Engine 58, Lt. Nagel survived the collapse of the South Tower.  He ended up trapped under and behind a wall of debris in the Tall Ships bar on the bound floor of the Marriott hotel on the southwest corner of the ground floor.  Although he was out of sight, they were talking to him and managed to pass him water through the debris which consisted of aluminum studs and BMX cable.  

However, after his men tied off a rope to a column and passed it through to him, the North Tower collapsed.  When they were able to get back to where they had tied off the rope, there was an additional twenty to thirty feet of debris between them and where Lt. Nagel had been.  Although his men spent until 9 pm that night digging and removing the debris and then picked up there again the following morning, Lt. Nagel was gone.  They never found him.  

-AK