NEW YORK - A wake is being held for a New York City firefighter who worked at Ground Zero for six months after 9/11 and was later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Firefighter James Ryan, of Kings Park, N.Y., died on Christmas. He was 48 and leaves a wife and three children.
Uniformed Firefighters Association president Steven Cassidy is upset Ryan will not receive a line of duty funeral because the city does not consider his death job related.
Ryan's brother, Mike, believes his brother's cancer resulted from exposure to toxins at Ground Zero.
Firefighters who had worked with Ryan in Queens say they have organized an honor guard and bagpipes for Tuesday's funeral.
Services will be held at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Fort Salonga.
Related
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.