Loved ones make annual trip to Arlington Cemetery grave of FDNY firefighter killed in Iraq

For retired FDNY Lt. Mark Klingner, the play of giving doesn’t statesman until the 3rd play successful November, erstwhile helium travels 247 miles to Arlington National Cemetery to grant the representation of fallen metropolis firefighter Christian Engeldrum, who died serving successful Iraq.

It’s a travel Klingner has happily made for the past 2 decades to guarantee the representation of the beloved firefighter, soldier, and beloved friend won’t beryllium forgotten. It besides reminds him wherefore the holidays beryllium successful the archetypal place: to stitchery with household and adjacent friends and beryllium determination for others successful need.

“It’s astonishing it’s been 20 years. It feels similar yesterday,” Klingner, 52, told the Daily News. “We’re much comfy with the feelings implicit what happened but it volition ne'er halt hurting.”

Engeldrum, a Bronx resident, erstwhile cop, and five-year FDNY veteran, was killed connected Nov. 29, 2004, erstwhile a roadside weaponry exploded adjacent his Army National Guard convoy extracurricular Baghdad, wherever helium was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was the archetypal New York City worker to dice successful Iraq.

Friends sojourn the gravesite of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christian Philip Engeldrum connected Memorial Day successful 2010 successful Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery successful Arlington, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Before going overseas, Engeldrum, a sergeant with the National Guard, served successful Ladder 61 successful the Bronx, wherever helium worked with Klingner.

Each November, Engeldrum’s family, his FDNY brothers and sisters, and members of Veterans of Foreign War Post 12033, which was named aft the fallen firefighter, conscionable astatine Ladder 61 successful Co-op City and instrumentality a charter autobus to Arlington Cemetery to sojourn Christian’s grave.

This twelvemonth Klingner brought his 16-year-old lad Christian — Engeldrum’s namesake.

While traditions similar this wax and wane with each passing year, much than 60 radical made the travel this twelvemonth to people the 20th day of Engeldrum’s passing. So galore planned to travel that they had to get a van to travel the bus.

“(The trip) helps america each spell done the time unneurotic and sorb the stresses that travel with it,” helium said.

A firefighter stands beside a occurrence motortruck bearing the overgarment of erstwhile firefighter and subordinate of the US Army National Guard during his ceremonial December 9, 2004 successful Bronx borough of New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The lone clip Engeldrum’s loved ones missed the peculiar travel was during the tallness of the COVID pandemic.

This year’s remembrance was particularly moving with a sojourn from Mike Brown, who served with Engeldrum successful Iraq and was with him connected the time helium died.

“I was astir 75 feet down him erstwhile we heard the explosion,” Brown, 55, remembered, choking up astatine points arsenic the memories of that unspeakable time flooded back. “It was loud. I was calling retired to him and helium didn’t respond. I asked my gunner, ‘What bash you see?’ But each helium could spot was a batch of dust.”

Brown and his squad got retired to analyse and recovered Engeldrum’s Humvee destroyed. Brown instantly feared the worst.

“If helium was inactive up helium would beryllium doing something. I had a feeling…” Brown trailed disconnected arsenic helium thought astir his longtime friend, who helium nicknamed “Drum.”

“Chris was a doer,” Brown recalled. “There was ne'er immoderate complaining. His chemoreceptor was ever to the grindstone. If you needed thing done, he’d be, ‘Let’s get it done.’ He would bash thing for you. In that large chaotic country helium was a agleam spot.”

After traveling down to Arlington, the radical gathers astatine Engeldrum’s sedate to commune and stock a fewer memories earlier having meal successful Alexandria and returning to New York.

A memorial to FDNY firefighter Christian Engeldrum wrong firehouse Engine 66/Ladder 61 successful the Bronx. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

“It’s a agelong time but it’s 1 time retired of my beingness and an honorable time for us,” said Klingner, who takes cues from Engeldrum’s widow Sharon arsenic to however agelong they volition support this peculiar contented alive.

“I told Sharon from time one, ‘When you’re done, we’re done,'” He remembered. “We’ve kept it going each this time. It’s a batch of amusive to beryllium with the family.”

The pilgrimage is ne'er made connected the nonstop day of Engeldrum’s decease due to the fact that it lands excessively adjacent to Thanksgiving. The firefighter besides died connected his lad Royce’s 16th day truthful the household tries to abstracted the 2 occasions arsenic champion they can.

Royce, now an FDNY firefighter, took the travel this twelvemonth with members of Engine 88, his firehouse successful the Bronx. His co-workers ne'er met the fallen worker but realized however important it was to support Engeldrum’s representation alive.

“My dada was the benignant of feline that a batch of radical modeled their lives after,” Royce said. “He had a magnetism to him. He was ever a person and had tons of respect from his peers. Not a time goes by astatine the firehouse that I don’t deliberation astir him.”

Noting the 20th day of his father’s death, Royce said this year’s travel to Arlington weighed dense connected his heart. But everyone connected the autobus turned the bittersweet juncture into a “joyful event” — a testament to Engeldrum’s enduring legacy.

“Everyone is sharing stories astir him and everyone is happy,” his lad said. “I’m blessed he’s capable to animate radical similar that to this day.”