09/11/2026
In memory of our departed comrades. May they rest in eternal peace.
Gerald Atwood was a member of Sons of The American Legion Squadron 1060 in Brooklyn, NY. Gerald was a New York City firefighter assigned to Ladder 21 and was among hundreds of firemen killed after responding to the World trade Center on that fateful day. Gerald was an eight-year veteran of the FDNY working out of "Hell's Kitchen". He grew up in the Old Mill Basin neighborhood of Brooklyn, graduating from South Shore High School and spent two years at Kingsborough Community College.
Edward Beyea (Bee-Yay) was a Life Member of Sons of The American Legion Squadron #173 in Bath, New York, and worked as a computer programmer for Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield in the World Trade Center. Mr. Beyea needed full-time care for the last 21 years of his life, ever since a diving accident left him a quadriplegic. He refused to be limited by his disability and learned how to type using a stick that he operated with his mouth. Mr. Beyea along with friend and colleague Abe Zelmanowitz, who refused to leave Mr. Beyea's side after the terror attack, waited together on the 27th floor for the rescue workers who could not get there in time.
Raymond York was a member of the Broad Channel Sons of The American Legion Squadron # 1404, where he held the office of 3rd Vice Commander. One of New York's Bravest, he gave his life on September 11, 2001, while attempting to save his fellow citizens during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. A veteran firefighter with Engine Co. 285 in Queens, Mr. York had been assigned to light duty due to an on-the-job injury. On 9/11, he was playing the role of "Fireman Ray" in a fire safety show at Rockefeller Center. He made his way to the burning towers by hitching a ride with a television truck and an ambulance. His remains were found the next day on West Street. Raymond York, who had worked with the FDNY for 20 years, and had planned to retire at the end of 2001.
