Billy
Two really cool American icons; a superhero lifeguard at Robert Moses beach on LI for 25 years; a wedding party with two brothers: me on Billy's right and Chris on the left. Marching up Fifth Ave, St. Patrick's Day. With our father, Deputy Chief William F. Burke, Sr., at his retirement, 1985, Billy's third year on the job. And in the lobby of 1 WTC, Sept. 11, 2001, just after receiving assignment to ascend the stairs.
On 9/11, from inside 1 WTC, the north tower, after the collapse of 2 WTC, the south tower, Billy called his longtime close friend Jean to let her know he was still alive. Watching on TV, she begged him to stay safe. ‘This is who I am,” he told her, “this is what I do.” Minutes later 1 WTC collapsed and Capt. Billy Burke, Jr. perished with the other 2,748 innocents at the WTC. Join me at Ground Zero and connect with and be inspired by who Billy was and what he did.