The 5 year anniversary of 9/11 is here. It's hard to believe it has been 5 years. No matter what our political beliefs or our theories are of what transpired that day and since, the fact remains that 2,996 innocent souls were taken from us. I, along with 2,995 other people, have become involved with a project called the 2,996 Project. Each of us were assigned a victim of that horrible day to pay tribute. I was given Michael Haub. It would have been an honor to know him. My heart goes out to Erika, Michael, Kiersten, Helmut and the rest of his family and friends. Please feel our love and support on this tragic anniversary.
Michael Helmut Haub June 13, 1967 - September 11, 2001
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the thousand winds that blow
I am the diamonds glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle Autumn rain
When you awaken in the morning, hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds' encircled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there. I did not die.
"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." - Arthur Ashe
Michael Helmut Haub was a family man who loved to help people. He found the perfect career at just 21 when he became a member of the Roslyn Highland Fire Department in New York.
On January 25, 1990 firefighter Haub and company rushed to the scene of the Avianca Air Disaster, which crashed in Cove Neck, NY. He was part of the effort that helped save 85 of the 158 people on board.
Haub worked diligently and soon became Captain of the Roslyn Highland Fire Department. Craving the fast paced environment of the big city, Haub joined the New York City Fire Department on Aug. 8, 1999, eventually getting assigned to one of New York City's busiest houses: the 54 engine, ladder 4, 9th Battalion.
He liked helping people," his wife, Erika, said in a New York Times interview. "He was happy to be at such a busy house because he really wanted to be working all the time."
11 years, 7 months and 17 days after the Avianca Air crash, Haub would be called to another disaster. That beautiful and sunny Tuesday morning, when thousands of people were fleeing the burning towers, Haub was doing what he did best: helping people. He was one of 17 souls that perished from that company.
As his family was watching the horror unfold on television, Michael's youngest, who was 1, said Dada for the first time as she pointed to the picture. She had never said that before. His family, wife Erika, son Michael Andreas, now 9 and daughter Kiersten Edda, now 6, dubbed him "Our Hero" when he was alive. He is Americas hero as well.
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