JOE PFEIFER
It was Sunday, February 3, 2002, and people around the country were watching the Super Bowl. I came into the 10-10 Firehouse inside the Ground Zero site to warm up, eat and watch the Super Bowl halftime show. Meanwhile, Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer, who had played a large role in the rescue operations at the World Trade Center when the planes first went in, was at his firehouse doing paperwork. The football game was about to begine when over our receivers came the words that Joe's younger brother, Lieutenant Kevin Pfeifer of Engine 33, had been found in the North Tower area. Chief Pfeifer got the call at his firehouse and raced down to Ground Zero. I would later watch and photograph Joe carrying his brother's flag-draped body through the site and up to the Chaplain waiting on the exit ramp. As I heard the Chaplain's prayer over the motorola receiver, I remember setting my camera down to salute two American heroes. After the prayer, Chief Joseph Pfeifer proudly and bravely walked his younger brother Kevin out of Ground Zero. In this photograph, Joe cradles the flag that was used to cover his brother's body when he was found in the North Tower area. Chief Pfeifer is now the Assistant Chief of Operations and works at FDNY headquarters.