After a wrestling career that saw him claim a PSAL championship for Tottenville High School and qualify for the NCAA Championships while competing for Seton Hall University, Mark Whitford learned never to back down from a challenge.

A third-year firefighter for Engine Co. 23 in Manhattan, Whitford once again answered the call on Sept. 11. A chauffeur for his department, he was to stay with the truck, but Whitford was having none of it. He called his wife before abandoning his post to enter the World Trade Center to ensure the safety of others. It was Whitford's dream to serve on a rescue company and on the eve of the attacks he found out he had been accepted into Staten Island's elite Rescue 5.

After graduating from Seton Hall with a degree in Business Management in 1993, Whitford took a job as a financial advisor for Chase Manhattan Bank, where he worked until he began to chase his career dream. He was accepted into the Fire Department in 1997 and worked for Brooklyn's Ladder Co. 147 and Engine Co. 152 in Rosebank, before assuming his duties at Engine Co. 23.

"He was incredibly happy. That's why he didn't stay with the truck. It was in his blood. He was a rescuer," his wife, Renee Whitford, said.