Firefighter Killed on 9/11 Identified 18 Years Later

A firefighter who was killed on 9/11 has been identified 18 years later, with the family and friends of Michael Haub gathering to mourn his death last week almost 20 years after his passing. The Uniformed Firefighters Association said in a statement that Haub's remains were conclusively identified last week by the medical examiner after more remains were uncovered at Ground Zero, CNN reports. The statement adds that the service "was to provide his family with closure and a peace of mind."

Haub was a 13-year veteran of Ladder Company 4. He was 34 years old when he was killed on the job in the September 11 attacks, leaving behind a wife and two children.

"We remember him and the 342 other firefighters who perished that fateful day, and will be forever grateful for the courage they show," the association said in a statement on Tuesday.

NBC New York reports that Haub's memorial service was held in Franklin Square on Tuesday, with family and friends gathering to remember him.

The firefighter's remains had initially been found in lobby debris of the south tower six months after the attacks. In March 2002, Haub's family held a wake that was attended by then Mayor Michael Bloomberg and FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.

FDNY-Uniformed Firefighters Association President Gerard Fitzgerald called Haub a "hero" in a statement on Tuesday.

"Nearly eighteen years to the day after terrorists took his life, Firefighter Haub will be remembered by his loved ones and fellow firefighters," Fitzgerald said.

As of this year, the remains of only about 60 percent of the 2,753 people killed at the World Trade Center have been positively identified, according to the medical examiner's office. Along with the over 300 firefighters that lost their lives on 9/11, an additional 200 have died since due to illnesses linked to their time working at the scene after the attacks.

"It is almost incomprehensible that after losing 343 members on September 11, we have now had 200 more FDNY members die due to World Trade Center illness," Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in July. "These heroes gave their lives bravely fighting to rescue and recover others. We will never forget them."

The firefighters responded after terrorists hijacked four airplanes bound for different destinations in the United States. Two of the flights were crashed into the World Trade Center's north and south towers, one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the fourth crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks.

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