Andrew J. Desperito was killed in the line of duty on 9/11 while trying to evacuate thousands of people at the World Trade Center before its devastating collapse. Being a firefighter was something he dreamed of since he was a little boy. He served three years as a NYC police officer before being appointed to the FDNY. He studied very hard and eventually became a lieutenant. He also was a member of Hagerman Volunteer Fire Department‚ often sharing his knowledge of firefighting at training drills and classes.
Helping people seemed to come naturally to him. He was a born communicator and connected well with all people.
However‚ he never did anything for his own personal gain.
He did it because it was the right thing to do. He was a highly respected and loved soccer coach who brought his son’s Division 1 soccer team to a first place championship twice right before his untimely death. He also instilled good sportsmanship in all his players mostly by his own behavior on the soccer field.
He strove to be the best he could in everything he did and was: a husband‚ father‚ son‚ brother‚ firefighter‚ soccer coach and friend. Andrew was most proud of his family‚ wife Laura‚ and children‚ Nicole‚ Anthony‚ and David.
Of everything that Andrew tried to accomplish in his short lifetime‚ the underlying goal was to always stay true to yourself and always follow your dreams.