Jenny Pachucki, 9/11 Memorial Content Strategist Sept 26, 2016
https://www.911memorial.org/blog/remembering-terence-hatton-capt-man-hatton
“Terence Hatton, the captain of FDNY’s elite Rescue Company 1, was nicknamed “Capt. Man-Hatton” for his insistence on learning the borough’s buildings inside and out. It was with this disciplined mindset that he led a group of 10 members of the company up the stairs of the North Tower on the morning of Sept. 11. Today, a white rose at the 9/11 Memorial marks what would have been his 56th birthday.”
“Hatton was described as the “ultimate firefighter.” His best friend and fellow firefighter, Tim Brown, describes his uncompromising commitment to technique that gave him a reputation in the department as straight-laced. “I had so much respect for him, in that he would always, always, always, do the right thing,” said Brown.”
“In addition to the FDNY, Hatton’s great love was his wife, Elizabeth Petrone Hatton who he married in 1998. As Giuliani’s long-term executive assistant, Beth was by the mayor’s side that day when she learned her husband was in the North Tower when it collapsed. The next day, she learned that she was pregnant with their first child. She named the little girl Terri after her father.”
Mitch: I found this memorial very impactful for more than the usual reason, not the least of which it is close to the anniversary of an event that brought a national awareness of the dangers that firefighters heroically face to protect others, particularly this article’s focus on one of the individuals it commemorates. By focusing on an individual it really drives home the sacrifice of these individuals in the line of protecting their community, so often it is easy to lump together statistics and lists of names, but when you focus in on an individual it becomes powerfully real. Terence laid down his life, and his wife and daughter lost him in the name of trying to rescue others. This memorial gives me a solemn perspective on the importance of equipping these heroic individuals with the very best equipment that we can. One thing that also jumped out to me was the article’s focus on the deep knowledge of the buildings in his area that Terence had which made him a more effective firefighter.
