Never Forget: On 9/11 Actor Steve Buscemi Quietly Returned To His Job As FDNY Firefighter

The Mix ^ | SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 | ERIN PERRI

[Leaning Right]

Steve Buscemi is known best for his acting, but before he was on the big screen he played a real life role as a hero as a New York Firefighter. The drive to save lives remained in his blood as “The Big Lebowski” actor quietly returned to the FDNY after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Steve Buscemi is a great actor, but the role he played after 9/11 is the one we should remember and celebrate most.

[Leaning Right]

There is much going on today. Among other things, it’s the anniversary of 9/11.

It is worth noting that Buscemi did nothing to publicize his efforts on 9/11. He just showed up at the World Trade Center, and went to work.

We only know of this because a reporter on the scene happened to recognize him.

[Myrddin]

Buscemi has returned to acting. He is playing the principal in the latest season of "Wednesday".

[Red6]

In the haste of the day, I forgot it was 9-11.

Thanks for the reminder and info on this guy: https://www.kennedy-center.org/globalassets/artists/b/bo-bz/steve-buscemi.jpg

He’s actually a real world hero.

[desertsolitaire]

Tony Sopranos cousin Tony Blundetto redeemed himself, yes.

[Larry Lucido]

[Hyman Roth]

Did not know that. Nice.

[mass55th]

"Buscemi has returned to acting. He is playing the principal in the latest season of 'Wednesday'."

I don't watch it myself, but my son happens to watch it in the living room while I'm on the computer, and I noticed he was in the series as the school master. I didn't know about his previous FDNY career. I've enjoyed his other roles over the years.

[blackdog]

STFU, Donnie....

[Myrddin]

My wife watches Wednesday on the bedroom TV. I'm a "captive" observer. I put the TV in after she had a major surgery in July 2007.

[mass55th]

"My wife watches Wednesday on the bedroom TV. I'm a "captive" observer. I put the TV in after she had a major surgery in July 2007."

I hope her health remains well. I had 4 abdominal surgeries within 5 years between 2010-2015. I saved all my surgeries up for my old age. I wear headphones and watch programs on my laptop while he's watching TV. I have a TV in my room, but never watch it. When my oldest son visits, he stays in my room, and has the TV to watch if he wants to. I prefer to read from my Kindle before I turn the light out at night.

[Leaning Right]

> I have a TV in my room, but never watch it. <

In case you don’t know… there’s an app called LibriVox. From it, you can download thousands of free audiobooks. They’re all in the public domain, so there is no charge.

I like the old-time radio shows. There are also classic novels, history books, etc. all read by volunteers.

[mass55th]

"In case you don’t know… there’s an app called LibriVox. From it, you can download thousands of free audiobooks."

Thanks, but I don't like audio books. I tried them while driving, and didn't enjoy them, and I'm not one to sit and listen to an audio book. I prefer holding a book in my hands when I read them, giving them my complete attention.

I'm a history buff, and read a lot of sourced books with many chapter notes. I also read other genres as well, most of them being a part of various series of my preferable authors...a lot of them British. I usually have 4 actual books going at once that I read during the day, plus two on my kindle each night. I've been reading since I was four...in the 50's. To me it was magical to go through the bookshelves at the library. I've also done a lot of historical research. I traveled regularly to the National Archives as well as historical societies, college manuscript collections, and library holdings. There's something about being hands-on that has always interested me.

[Leaning Right]

> and I’m not one to sit and listen to an audio book <

I can relate. But I have insomnia. When in bed for the night, I find listening to an audiobook better than counting these guys:

🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑

Regards,
LR

[No name given]

He was also in “Armageddon” and “Big Fish”.

[Myrddin]

In addition to putting the flat screen TV on the wall for my wife, I repaired the air conditioner. She loves to knit as well. Between knitting, TV and caring for the pets, she has plenty going on. The major surgery in 2007 was followed by breast cancer with surgery/radiation in 2014, then a seizure and type 1 diabetes in 2019. The diabetes comes with a continuous glucose monitor, and insulin pump and a phone app to manage both. The joys of alarms going off for high and low glucose impacts the quality of sleep for both of us.

My "office" is in the basement. I spend much of my day there with an infrared space heater and heating pad to stay warm. My wife is up on the 2nd floor knitting or watching TV. We head out for lunch or dinner and hang out with the pups in the backyard when the weather permits.

[clearcarbon]

"He was also in 'Armageddon' and 'Big Fish'."

I recall he played Luke, Big Zwey's partner in the Lonesome Dove 1989 TV miniseries. He seemed like a dumb kid in those episodes, but was 32 at the time.

[mass55th]

"The joys of alarms going off for high and low glucose impacts the quality of sleep for both of us."

Wow, I had no idea the extent of your wife's illnesses. She got a triple whammy. I'm Type II diabetic...but still only take oral meds after my original diagnosis the end of the 90's. Type I is tough. I will keep her in my prayers.

My youngest son, then 48, now 54, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2019. They did two resections on him via laparoscopic surgery. Took out a bunch of lymph nodes too. He went through six months of chemo and has been cancer free so far. While he was on chemo, he ended up with bronchitis, and a blood clot in his lung. The one side effect of the chemo that's stayed with him is severe neuropathy of his feet.

Last summer, he started having episodes of congestive heart failure and a-fib which I took him to the ER for. Last November he ended up in the ER with an internal hernia and blockage. They had to open him up completely, do a resection to get to the hernia to repair it. He was in the hospital for about 3 weeks. What compounded the problem was that he began having a-fib again. It started in ICU after his surgery. He also had problems with the area they had opened. Kept getting little infections in various spots. That finally went away.

The end of last year he was referred to a hospital in Rochester, NY and was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy...a genetic disease that thickens the heart muscle. He's been on special medications since then. He ended up in the hospital again early June this year with a-fib again. They shocked his heart. So far, so good. He's still getting scans for the cancer, and he'll be seeing a cardiologist and taking heart meds for the rest of his life.

[Myrddin]

Your household has been through the medical wringer. The joys of getting old. We're both retired now, so we have more control of our time. We just added a Jack Russell Terrier puppy to the "pack". She is a real joy and shares characteristics with my Jack Russell/Rat Terrier cross that was with us from Nov 2008 until Dec 2023. Probably our last puppy given that I'm 69 and my wife is 67.

My sister is 67 now. She has been seeing a cardiologist. My mom had congestive heart failure and a-fib. My sister is concerned that she will follow the same path. Her call was to inquire what type of aortic aneurysm I have. My two are abdominal aortic aneurysms. The major one is in the supraceliac position and inoperable. Her doctor says that thoracic aortic aneurysms tend to be genetic. I can't do anything about mine beyond being careful and not aggravating it with high carb foods.

None of us gets out of this engagement alive. Just be thankful for each day and careful not to hasten the exit.

[mass55th]

Yikes, your poor sister...and you!! Aneurysms are nothing to sneeze about. My second oldest sister (born 1942) had four aneurysms in her head. One was on the right side of her head. It was so big it made her eye turn towards here nose. It was her eye doctor who noticed it. He thought she'd had a stroke. Sent her to a neurologist. He catheterized her, found the four, operated and tied off the inner carotid on that side of head, and it stopped the flow to three of the four. She only had a small one left in the back of her head, and they were going to keep an eye on that with cat scans. She stopped smoking cold turkey the day she had the catheterization. Five years later she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Died on her birthday in 2011.

Everyone smoked in my family but me (the baby), and I'm the last one left. Both parents died of lung cancer. My only brother, a Vietnam vet died of a massive heart attack at 51. He had also stopped smoking after a mild heart attack at 48. My oldest sister lived til 74, the longest up until that time. That was only because she'd been institutionalized most of her adult life because she was an alcoholic who suffered from alcohol-induced dementia. NY State cut out all smoking for residents. She died of a stroke.

About your Jack Russell pup. I love those dogs. I was first introduced to the breed watching the Wishbone Mysteries, I think were on PBS in the afternoon. I also knew that in medieval times, they used them as rat catchers. When my brother passed, I got reacquainted with cousins on my father's side of the family. My cousin Sonny and his wife had a Jack Russell. Her name was Lucy. She was a character. Both Lucy and my cousin have been gone for a while now.

Time marches on whether you like it or not. I tell young kids to make sure they know that the older they get, the faster time will fly, so enjoy it while you can.

[Myrddin]

Both of my parents smoked. Dad finally quit in 1967. Mom continued through 1969. Both consumed alcoholic beverages in the evenings and wine at dinner. Dad became a T1 diabetic as a consequence of his choices. Even though my mom stopped smoking and ceased drinking when my dad passed, she developed congestive heart failure, a-fib and lung cancer in both lungs. I'm convinced that the hospice people my sister engaged hastened my mom's death by feeding her lots of morphine. She had no pain that would have justified any use of morphine. It was a tool to drive her to the cemetery quickly.

Your family has certain borne a long series of medical problems. Being the "baby" of the family, you will be seeing most of the family pass. All of my parents generation have passed. I have a sister and cousin who are still alive from my generation. Another cousin passed from esophageal cancer. We were just months apart in age.

My Dachshund and Jack Russell pups woke me up at 7:20 this morning. My wife was already up, so I was "fair game" for a morning snuggle. It's not a bad way to wake up.