Lt. Charles "Chuck" Margiotta was born January 15, 1957. He led a life of fun, excitement and love. His fun and excitement included being a stuntman, substituting, being a private investigator, and coaching his kids in sports. He loved his family, neighbors, community, and his job. He was a firefighter for the NYFD for 20 years until his life was cut short being a hero.
When I read stories of Chuck, I am amazed at the love he had for those around him, and cherishing the small things. He loved to garden and had a garden at the fire station that he loved to tend to, mainly his tomatoes. He loved to help his neighbors and once ran out into the street to help an elderly neighbor who had fallen. According to his friends, he was the nicest tough guy they'd ever met.
The morning of September 11th, he was driving home after being on shift all night long, when he heard over the radio that the Twin Towers had been struck. He turned around and headed back to see how he could help. He phoned his parents to tell them that something big had happened, and that he loved them. He didn't know that he would soon be part of American history.
This historic day is bigger than Chuck, and all of us. It's a defining moment in American history. A day many of us will never forget, but we must keep that memory alive so that we do not have a repeat of that day. Heroes were born that day and courage was found among many.
For Chuck, he wanted to help the people of New York by getting many to safety. He wanted to save lives, as he was called to do. I hope that we call all find a little Chuck in ourselves. His death may have been tragic, but his life lives on in the people who remember him.
He was not someone who would call themselves a hero, as he was merely doing his job. He would probably shrug his shoulders and be humble about it.
September 11, 2001 is a day that will live in infamy. So many of us will never forget where we were or what we were doing when the news of the attacks hit. It is our duty, and our responsibility to remember the lives who were lost in the attacks. They all matter, from the janitor, to the executive, firefighters, police officers, and all of those affected. We must remember this day, because by doing so we remember those who were lost.
Chuck, so long as I'm alive, and my fingers still work, I will always remember you here on this blog, and everyday in my heart. As this date gets closer every year, I struggle to find the words to say, as so many have already been said. I try to honor you in a way that the future generations would be proud of.
I think back to that day, and my 17 year old self, and I can't fathom not understanding what was happening and how generations of American's would be affected. We knew the impact at that time, but we didn't realize how it would impact us years down the road. I still tear up when I think about those moments in time, they are forever ingrained in my mind. The clothes I wore, the teacher that stopped me, my eyes on the tv, me running down the hall, and the aftermath in the coming days.
As I homeschool our son, I always make this day about learning more about the events of September 11th. It's important that the future generations understand how life changing those moments in time were. They will never truly grasp the feelings as it was all happening, but hopefully they can get a sense of pride in what the country did in the days after.
Chuck, we will never forget.
Click here to donate to Chuck's Scholarship fund
