FDNY probationary firefighter Aric Tegtmeier is pictured in an undated photo. (Courtesy of FDNY) (FDNY)
“I was talking to my mom about that the other day,” Tegtmeier, the son of Firefighter Paul Tegtmeier, said Wednesday. “She said that if he was there he would be smiling.”
“That’s what I remember most about him — his smile,” added the 24-year-old newly minted firefighter, who was just 6 when his father was killed in the terror attacks. “He was always happy and that smile could brighten a room. I keep that in mind and it always helps me get through the tough times.”
Aric’s father was assigned to Ladder Company 46 in the Bronx when terrorists drove jumbo jets into the World Trade Center. He and members of Engine 26, where he was temporarily assigned that day, raced down the West Side Highway. He never returned home.
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