In his mind, Michael Regan should have been down there. He should have had the guts.
A longtime New York City employee who became first deputy fire commissioner after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Regan coordinated scores of funerals and memorial services and helped hundreds of shattered families. Still, he could not shake the guilt. He should have been there, down at the World Trade Center.
After a couple of months, Regan finally shared his remorse with a stunned Fire Department colleague, who told him that he had been there. Regan had helped transport the bodies of the first deputy fire commissioner, Bill Feehan, and the chief of department, Peter Ganci, to the morgue on First Avenue.