I am participating again on this grim anniversary in Project 2996–a memorial tribute to each of the victims of the cowardly attack on 9/11/01.

In truth, the person I was assigned to honor was not a “victim” of 9/11. Rather, he was a true hero, and lost his life in an effort to save others.  You see, Jim Coyle was a firefighter.  An off-duty firefighter who did not hesitate to answer the call when the World Trade Center was hit.

It is hard to imagine the kind of courage it took to enter that inferno, but whatever quality it is that makes men like Jim Coyle respond the way he did, Americans will always be grateful for his devotion to duty and for his sacrifice.

Here is the tribute published in the NY Times:

James R. Coyle wanted to be Luke Skywalker. But because of certain difficulties in pursuing that career path, he decided to do what he thought was the next best thing, which was fighting fires.

Sure, there was no flying across galaxies or rescuing princesses, but joining the New York Fire Department had its own rewards.

Both of his grandfathers were New York firefighters. Firefighter Coyle joined the department’s cadet program while studying at Brooklyn College. He was 22 when he graduated as valedictorian of that program on a wet June day about four years ago.

For the next three years, he worked as an emergency medical technician. He delivered a baby in the back of an ambulance. He ducked bullets in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

Last December, he completed training in the fire academy and joined Ladder Company 3 in the East Village. One grandfather gave the firefighter his old fire hat.

The last glimpse his mother, Regina Coyle, had of Firefighter Coyle was on her television set on Sept. 11, when a local television station was doing a morning show on cooking in the firehouse. He had just finished a night shift, she said, and he was there to eat meal before heading off to Chicago on vacation.

James was only 26 when he died that fateful day.  And yet, during his short time on Earth, he touched so many lives.  Please take a moment to read the comments on his legacy guestbook from friends, family and strangers.  So moving.

I obviously can’t do justice to the memory of this man that he deserves.  But I can say to Jim and all those who knew him:  You have not been forgotten.

God bless James Raymond Coyle and God bless America.

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Just about ready to head out to Incheon to catch that long ride across the Pacific.  A much anticipated family reunion awaits at the completion of my journey.

It appears to be a beautiful day to fly.  And applying the logic of T.S. Garp, I’m guessing 9/11 is the safest day of the year to fly as well.

See you on the other side.

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