Final Farewell to 9/11 Victim

Just days before the fourth anniversary of his death, a firefighter who died in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center was praised at his funeral Wednesday for his passion for service.

Gerald Baptiste’s remains were not identified until this year. With the echo of bagpipes and Baptiste’s comrades in dress uniform, the Roman Catholic service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was eerily reminiscent of countless others in the months after Sept. 11.

Baptiste was one of three firefighters from Ladder Company 9 in the East Village to die at ground zero.

“He was driven by an unbridled passion to help others,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, noting that Baptiste was on the 33rd floor of the north tower directing people to safety in the minutes before his death.

The 35-year-old Baptiste, who was single, was known to colleagues and local residents as “Biscuits,” a reference to his penchant for carrying treats that he would dispense to neighborhood dogs.

A bucket of dog biscuits still sits inside the door of his firehouse, Bloomberg said.

A memorial service was held for Baptiste by fire officials on Nov. 16, 2001. After his remains were identified, relatives initially sought to bury Baptiste, a lieutenant in the 69th Infantry of the National Guard, at Arlington National Cemetery.

When their request was denied, they opted for a line-of-duty funeral.

Baptiste’s death spurred his fellow firefighters at Ladder Company 9 to finish a project he had started: the restoration of a rusted-out 1979 Honda CB750 motorcycle.

A documentary, “FDNY Dream Bike,” recounted the restoration effort.