Mullan, Michael, 34, was born in Flushing, New York/USA. He was on the 19th floor when they were ordered to evacuate, because "the building was starting to go," according to his mother, Theresa. Mullan and two other firefighters headed down but stopped at the third floor, where they heard a Mayday call from two firefighters higher up. "Michael said, 'I'll go get them,'" and that was the last anyone heard of him.
A registered nurse, Michael was working on his BSN at Hunter College and also worked in the Mercy Hospital emergency room on a per diem basis. [On the Sunday following the attack, an infant was dropped off at Mercy under the Safe Haven law. It was its first and was named after Michael and the security guard who received the infant.] He was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and worked for Ladder 12, Engine Co. 3 in Chelsea. He was "just about" engaged to his girlfriend, his mother said. "There's an old Irish expression: May you live every day of your life. Michael lived every day of his life." An avid Yankees fan, "he took it as a personal insult if they lost. He loved plays and concerts, and, oh, when he played the piano, you could not tell the difference between Michael Mullan and Jerry Lee Lewis. .. And he loved Elvis! He kept saying to me, 'Mom, you must have had a great time in the '50s.' And let me tell you, he was full of devilment and merriment and mischief." After the attack she visited his grammar school to ask for the children's prayers. "And when I walked into the principal's office, I said, 'Do you know, this is the first time I have walked into this office that I did not get sent for?'" Devilment aside, Theresa Mullan said, "Michael always made you laugh." He is also survived by his father, Patrick; brother, Patrick, and sister, Kelly-Ann Mary. "And don't forget," his mother said, "It's 'Mullan' with an 'a.'" -Mary Voboril Newsday.com [Ent. 10/01] (http://cf1.newsday.infi.net/911/victimsearch.cfm?id=540) |