Car bomb in Iraq kills firefighter from the Bronx who was serving in National Guard; another is wounded
By DARYL KHAN AND PETE BOWLES
STAFF WRITERS
A city firefighter cited for bravery was killed and another was wounded Monday in Iraq when their Army vehicle came under fire outside of Baghdad, city officials said yesterday.
National Guard Sgt. Christian Engeldrum, 39, of the Bronx, who earned his citation for rescuing two people from a fire in 2000, was the first city employee to die in Iraq since the United States invaded in March 2003.
Daniel Swift, 24, of Ladder Co. 43 in Manhattan, suffered shrapnel wounds and was taken to Germany for medical treatment, officials said. He is expected to recover.
A volunteer firefighter from Baldwin, Long Island, Wilfredo Urbina, also was killed.
Details about the incident were not immediately released by the Defense Department.
Engeldrum's widow, Sharon Engeldrum, said her husband's unit, Company B of the First Battalion, 105th Infantry, was assigned to watch bridges for insurgents fleeing Fallujah.
Loved ones mourn
She said she was notified of her husband's death Monday by Army officials who visited her Throgs Neck home. "They came to my home, and I knew. I am a military wife from long ago. When a chaplain comes to your door, you know it's not good."
The Engeldrums have two sons, Sean, 18, and Royce, who turned 16 on Monday.
At the Co-op City firehouse where Engeldrum worked as a member of Ladder Co. 61, three dozen firefighters stood quietly in two rows as station members hung black and purple bunting above the entrance yesterday. Hanging on a wall, near his gear and equipment, was a picture of Engeldrum at Ground Zero.
Fire Lt. Brian Horton described Engeldrum as a quiet leader. "He wasn't a loud person, but you always knew he was there," he said. "He had a presence to him. ... He was a person to look up to."
"He was the core of this house," added Firefighter Mark Klinger. "Everyone looked up to Chris. This house was made around him. He made this house what it is."
A bright career
Engeldrum began his career with the city as a police officer assigned to the 47th Precinct in the Bronx. He left the department during his probationary period and eventually joined the Fire Department, graduating from the academy in 1999. He was assigned to Engine Co. 89 in the Bronx and also served in Engine Co. 58 in Manhattan.
Engeldrum received a Fire Department citation on July 15, 2000, as a result of Engine Co. 58's successful rescue of two people in a fire on West 110th Street.
Sharon Engeldrum said her husband served in the Army from 1986 to 1991, including service in Iraq in 1990. His National Guard unit was sent to Kuwait on Oct. 1 and to Baghdad on Nov. 2, she said.
"He wanted to go over there to support his men, his guys," she said. "I don't know exactly what was going through his mind. I know he knew that I didn't want him to go. But he was a brave man. It didn't matter to him that he was afraid. He went."
Referring to his previous service in Iraq, she said: "It was just mainly air strikes then. It wasn't really ground combat."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta offered their condolences to the family.
"Christian Engeldrum spent his life protecting the people of this city and protecting democracy," the mayor said in a statement. "As a firefighter, a police officer and a decorated member of our military, there was no risk he wasn't willing to take for his fellow New Yorkers and his fellow Americans."
Engeldrum received many awards during his military service, including a sharpshooter badge, a parachutist badge and an Army good conduct medal.
At least 135 American troops have been killed in Iraq in November, matching April of this year as the deadliest month since the war began, according to Pentagon figures.
Sharon Engeldrum said her husband's body is to be returned home in days. Schuyler Funeral Home in Schuylerville will be in charge of arrangements. Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
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