Nearly 25 years after Sept. 11, 2001, FDNY Capt. Frederick Ill III can still trace the path that took him from a young probationary firefighter to Ground Zero to being a captain on the job and a career built around continuing the mission of those who never returned home, including his father, who was perished along with his ladder company that morning.

Ill graduated from the FDNY fire academy in July, only about six weeks before the terrorist attacks changed his family and his department. Since then, Ill 

His father, Capt. Frederick Ill Jr., was a veteran FDNY officer assigned to Ladder Company 2 in Manhattan. His father joined the department in 1977 and spent a career building a reputation as an aggressive firefighter, respected officer and dedicated mentor to those he worked alongside in Bronx and Manhattan firehouses, including Ladders 43 and 49.

For his son, he was something more.

“He was a great father. You know, always there. Sports coach, coaching every sport,” Ill said told Firehouse.com. “He loved going to work, he loved his country. He did anything he could. Community, friends, anyone who needed help, he was there.” 

The younger Ill grew up visiting FDNY firehouses with his father and watching the camaraderie among firefighters and that got him hooked.

On the job for just a few weeks

He graduated from the FDNY academy in July 2001 and was assigned to Ladder 58 in the Bronx.

On the morning of Sept. 11, Ill was coming back from a run with his volunteer fire crew in Pearl River, NY, when he learned that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center. They quickly returned to the station and turned on the TV. After watching the second plane hit, he raced to his Bronx firehouse.

His captain asked whether his father was working and Ill hold him that he was on-duty that morning. His father's firehouse was only six miles from the World Trade Center site.

Responding to Ground Zero

Ill and other firefighters grabbed their PPE and any tools they could find in the station. They had no radios or SCBA.

A firefighter ran outside the firehouse and commandeered a city bus to get to Lower Manhattan. When they arrived, they learned that FDNY's command structure had been devastated by the collapse of the towers.

“There was no plan,” Ill recalled.

Amid the destruction and uncertainty, Ill stayed close to his captain as firefighters tried to determine what needed to be done.

“I just held onto my captain's coat for the most part and told him, ‘I'm staying right by your side because I don't want you to worry about me.'"

They worked at the site, searching debris and looking for victims while trying to get an understanding the casualty count.

Eventually, senior officers ordered Ill to leave the World Trade Center site and return to his Bronx firehouse to take care of his family.

“We all knew he was missing,” Ill said about his father.

He said he didn't want to leave his colleagues at the site but was eventually taken back his firehouse where friends drove him home, where his mother, two sisters and relatives were waiting.

Later, he acknowledged that sending him away from the site was the right decision.

After several days at home with his family, he asked to return to his firehouse to work because the time at home was challenging for his family who were waiting for news.

His father is recovered

Weeks later, on Oct. 3, Ill reported to his firehouse and was reassigned to Ladder 4 in Manhattan's Broadway district. He tried to pull some strings to work to work that day with his father's Ladder 2, which is located nearby. 

He began the tour at Ladder 4 checking the rigs and getting ready for the day when Ladder 2 pulled up to Ladder 4's Firehouse on 8th Avenue. 

Firefighters from Ladder 2, Ladder 4 and Engine 54 surrounded him, and Lt. Tom Mayer closed in and told him, “We found him.”

At first, Ill didn't understand what was going on at the station.

“They presented me with his helmet,” he recalled and they told him that remains of his father, Capt. Ill Jr., had been recovered from Ground Zero the night before. 

From there, he was taken home to tell his family, but they were notified by the time he was back in Pearl River. 

A hero's funeral

His funeral drew an enormous turnout from people in Pearl River, local volunteer firefighters and friends.

A lot of FDNY firefighters were there as well but their turnout was not as large because of the ongoing work at the Ground Zero and other funerals the same day.

He requested a flyover for his father, who was also a military veteran, but was told last minute that they were unable to meet that request. No further details were shared with Ill.

The funeral was late to start and he was growing uneasy and that's when the side door of the church opened and former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton walked in.

Over the years, Ill Jr. had taken details at the hotel where the Clintons stayed when he was in office.

"(Engine) 8 and (Ladder) 2 have a pretty big responsibility if the president stays in Manhattan...where they're at his service all night, and that's their only, only job, which is pretty cool," he shared. "He always signed up for that detail to be with the Secret Service in Class A, with the alarms, and, and kind of run it...he enjoyed being with them. He enjoyed asking questions. He was always interested in everyone's job."

When Clinton learned the funeral was scheduled for the man who kept watch over him, he asked to attend. 

For Ill, the response reflected the kind of man his father had been and the relationships he built throughout his life.

Ill returned to work after the funeral and shared that he wanted to focus on learning to be a firefighter without special treatment. 

“Day one, I went back, get in the sink, checked the rig, cleaned tools, and they taught me my job,” he said. “I never felt like I was given any advantages, and I didn't want any advantages.”

Moving up through the fire department 

Over the last 25 years, Ill built his own FDNY career and reputation. He moved from Ladder 58 to Rescue 1, became a lieutenant, served with Rescue 4 and eventually was promoted to captain—the same rank his father held when he perished.

With his last promotion he was eligible to receive his father's captain's badge.

“Because my father passed, we were able to lock his captain's badge,” Ill said. “I was promoted to captain last September, and I got that badge. That was pretty cool.”

With his promotion, he returned to the Bronx to serve as the captain of Ladder 32.

Remembering Frederick Ill Jr. 

His father's influence extends well beyond the badge. Ill remembers a leader who took care of his firefighters and went the extra distance to make sure they had what they needed.

Those lessons have shaped how Ill approaches leadership and training during his career.

“Always make every tour better than the last,” he said. “Make everyone around you, build them up.”

Reflecting on the 25th anniversary

For Ill, that philosophy also represents how the FDNY recovered from the unimaginable losses of Sept. 11..

“We've had tragedy, we've had loss, and the job continues,” Ill said. “The mission continues.”

He believes that carrying the mission forward is one of the greatest tributes today's firefighters can offer those who were lost.

“People are going to call 911 the next day, and that's the best thing we could do for the 343,” he said.

Ill embraces being part of an FDNY legacy, but he also remembers something his father taught him before Sept. 11—build your own career.

“Be your own person,” Ill said. “You don't have to be who they were.”

Twenty-five years later, he remains proud to carry his father's name while continuing to build a career of his own.

“I am my father's son. I have his name and I'm proud, you know, to continue on the same job, same career path,” Ill said. “Still trying to fill his shoes. He was a good leader. Some have said I've done that, but I think I'm still trying.”