Chuck Margiotta gave his life on 9-11-01 trying to save others. He was off duty, a NYC Fireman, when the planes hit. He was on his way home. He turned around and went to help.
The stories, tributes, scholarships, memorials and love that are on his website are so emotional and heart felt. God bless his brother, Mike - my classmate, teammate and friend for keeping the glow from Chuck's soul alive and spreading.
Please take a look at the site and see for yourself the life of one of our heroes.
Chuck was my high school football teammate, one year my senior. When I first met Chuck, we were going through our Freshman hazing during summer training. We were happy we made the team, but we were now subject to standard rookie abuse. Chuck was hard on us, but he conveyed to me a feeling that this was tough, but fun, don't worry. I didn't.
I was trying something one day at practice, punting the ball so it would go backwards over my head. Don't ask me why, I don't know. Anyway, I kicked myself in the chin, and bit my tongue, hard, really hard. I was a mess. Poor Chuck is the first guy I saw and I said "Chuck, can you look at this?" I opened my mouth at him and he said "Let's go see coach" and walked me over. I have really no idea how I got to the hospital to get my 6 stitches, but I did. I heard somewhere once that the tongue does not scar. Whoever said that or believes it is wrong.
My memories of Chuck are:
- He was one tough cookie.
- He loved to swagger and was usually the center of the room.
- He was totally self aware.
- He used his stature to perfect effect with his wry sense of humor.
- He was the first guy I know that got an ear ring. when someone asked him why, he said "I wasn't getting in to enough fights!".
- He went to an Ivy League College - Brown University where he was loved.
- He graduated with a double major.
- He joined the New York City Fire Department.
- He lived and died a Staten Islander.
I personally knew at least 4 people who died on 9-11-01. I was in Hawaii at the time when my friend Stich called me to tell me what happened. I knew that I knew people in those buildings as soon as I turned on the TV at 4 AM local time.
Such evil.
