Lieutenant Robert F. Wallace

Engine 205, FDNY

Lieutenant Wallace's Act of Heroism

Over 400 first responders lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Heroically performing their sworn duty, these firefighters, members of the NYPD and PAPD, and numerous other rescue workers will forever be remembered for their sacrifice.

My Hero

Nancy Wallace remembers Robert, her husband of 21 years, for his wacky sense of humor and the way he took every little car breakdown in stride. And there were many. "We put three engines in it, and two trannies," she said of the family's Jeep Wagoneer. "Half the time we didn't make it to where we were going."

She remembers him trudging through the snow to buy baby aspirin when the family was stuck in a snowstorm in the early 1980's. And she remembered how after those babies had turned into teenagers, the whole family — their four children and a nephew — slept in the broken-down Wagoneer on the highway because nearby hotels were full.

Lieutenant Wallace, 43, followed his father into firefighting, and was known for pointing at the sky above Engine 205 in Brooklyn Heights, just to get people to look up, too. "My family used to tease him," Mrs. Wallace recalled, "and he'd say, 'No, I'm going off to fight fires and save the people of New York.' "We'd say, 'Oh, get outta here,' and he'd say, 'I'm going to go fight fires and save the people of New York.' "

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 30, 2001.
Information courtesy of the Remember 9/11/2001 memorial site on legacy.com