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NEW YORK — The triplet sons of an FDNY firefighter, who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, are not identical but they share a common past and will soon share a common future.
They’re three of the thousands of children who lost a parent 25 years ago on Sept. 11 or in the years after due to 9/11-related illnesses.
William Gormley’s sons – Raymond, Billy and Kevin – were just 3 years old when their father rushed to the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. While many children lost parents that day, the brothers grew up with their father, only later learning the toll his work at Ground Zero had taken on his health.
Raymond Gormley is a NY firefighter and his brothers Billy and Kevin are also working to join the fire service, honoring their father William, who died from a 9/11-related illness.
Gormley Family
“We all, for the most part, have the same lives in a lot of ways,” Raymond said while sitting on a couch between his two brothers. “The same trauma, the same upbringing, the same everything. No one understands me like these two understand me.”
But for Kevin, Raymond and Billy didn’t learn about what happened from the history books, they lived it and they always had each other to rely on.
“This is a huge point my father always made, he said, ‘These are your people. You were born with them, and this is what you got til the end,'” Kevin said.
They don’t remember what happened on Sept. 11, since they were so young.
“Now, 25 years later, we’re understanding the full grasp of what happened that day,” Raymond said.
William Gormley rushed to the twin towers after they were struck. Unlike many children, they didn’t lose their dad that day. The reality of the work he did hit later in life.
Firefighter Gormley worked on the pile for months, looking for survivors and later, for the remains of victims.
“It makes you feel some pride knowing your father went in there selflessly to help others and do the best he could,” Kevin said.
The family said the long-term effects of his work became apparent over time. Growing up, the brothers accompanied their father to numerous doctor appointments but did not fully understand the severity of his health problems.
“They never really told us anything really,” Billy said. “But as kids we’d go to hospital waiting rooms in summer for doctors’ appointments. But not knowing the severity.”
Raymond added, “Growing up he had skin cancer, sinus issues. So growing up as a kid, I personally never really understood what that came from. It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2016 that we put two together and realized it was from his time spent at Ground Zero.”
William Gormley died of bladder and lung cancer in 2017. According to a report, he was one of more than 400 fire and EMS workers who have died from 9/11-related illnesses.
Asked whether his father would have made the same decision knowing what is now known about the dangers faced at Ground Zero, Raymond said there was no doubt.
“One hundred percent, without hesitation,” he said. “Not only him, but every single person he went down with that day would go down to the pile again, without a doubt.”
Today, a street in Brooklyn bears William Gormley’s name, near the firehouse where he worked.
Despite their father’s advice to seek work outside the fire service, the brothers found themselves drawn to the profession.
“My father would always say, ‘When you get older, get a job where you sit behind a desk and write checks for people,'” Kyle said.
“He’d always say, ‘Work with your brain, not your hands,'” Raymond added.
He went on to say, “So I’m a firefighter right now, an FDNY firefighter working at the same house he worked at, Ladder 174. So it’s full circle really, it’s crazy from him telling me to work with your brain, not your hands, and it’s crazy I’m sleeping in the same bed he did 20 years ago.”
Billy hopes to join the fire service soon.
“So I’m an EMT with the fire department at the moment,” he said. “Waiting to join fire as well.”
Kevin has also applied to become a firefighter.
“You hope one day, you can fill those shoes,” he said.
The report said Billy and Kevin could join the fire academy as soon as this month.
The brothers said they were inspired not only by their father, but also by the support they received from firefighters after his death.
“Once I saw the camaraderie, everyone coming together, people driving us around, his old coworkers taking care of us, the laughs, the tears,” Raymond said. “After that in my mind, it was something I would really like to do.”
“Yeah, what they did was incredible how they took care of us, made sure everything was in order,” another brother added.
And this didn’t just have an impact on the three brothers, it impacted the entire family, including their big sister, Bridget.
“I think there’s a beauty in that it was never forced down their throats,” said Bridget. “My dad was never like, ‘You’re going to be a fireman!’ Our dad was like, ‘You’re NOT going to be a fireman!'”
Bridget has also dedicated her work to preserving the stories of those affected by Sept. 11. She works with 9/11 survivors and produced a documentary about the dangers of toxic dust exposure. It’s called, “Dust: Lingering Legacy of 9/11.”
“Along the way, I got to know my father’s friends better,” she said. “I mean, I lost my dad, but I’ve got [sic] thousands of uncles now.”
For the Gormley siblings, the events of Sept. 11 continue to shape their lives and careers. They say their shared experiences and bond have helped them navigate a loss that has defined much of their lives.
“Just being there for someone on their worst day, being their hope when there’s no hope is really something special, something we take a lot of pride in,” Raymond said.
“We all, for the most part, have the same lives in a lot of ways, the same trauma, the same upbringing, the same everything, no one understands me like these two understand me,” one of the brothers said.
As they continue their careers in public service, the brothers say they are carrying forward the values their father exemplified, together.
