City Honors Fallen Fire Marshal

By THUY KYAW

The sound of bagpipes echoed around Washington Square Park on a rainy Thursday morning as the city honored one of its bravest.

The New York City Fire Department and New York University hosted a joint memorial service for a Fire Marshal and fallen local airman, who was killed earlier this month along with seven others in a helicopter crash at the Iraq-Syria border.

Christopher Zanetis, known by his nickname Tripp, was deployed by the Air National Guard where he was trained to fly the Air Force combat search and rescue chopper.

“He loved New York, he loved the people and the values,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, who attended both the procession through the Park and ceremony at NYU’s Kimmel Center. “He loved New York and New York loved him right back.”

The ceremony, which was named “Celebration of Life” in the memory of Zanetis, started around 10:30 a.m. as his coffin was carried into the park by fellow firefighters for the funeral service.

Firefighters in their uniforms, members in the US air force and friends and family were present to bid final goodbyes to the firefighter-turned-soldier

Zanetis was an NYU alumnus, graduating with honors in political science a decade ago and serving as president of student body.

“As NYU President, I often talk about the types of students we hope to nurture,” said Andrew Hamilton. “Tripp was the perfect example of that.”

The 9/11 attacks, however, made him reconsider his future in politics as they inspired him to join the fire department.

He then moved on to the Air National Guard in 2008 after four years in the fire department, and managed to graduate from Stanford Law School last year while on still active duty.

“Tripp could have been anything in life but he chose to be one of us,” said Firer Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

He had interned with the Office of Legal Affairs at NATO Headquarters in Belgium, and was working as an associate at a New York law firm at the time of his death.

Zanetis is survived by his parents, grandmother, sisters, uncles, nephew, and partner.