Fort Hamilton dedicates bluff in memory of a fallen soldier
At the Fort Hamilton Army Base there is a bluff on the waterfront that offers a breathtaking view of the Narrows and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. From June 13 on, that bucolic space will forever be known as Engeldrum Bluff in memory of Christian Engeldrum, a firefighter-turned-soldier killed in the Iraq War.
Engeldrum, 39, a staff sergeant in the 69th Infantry Regiment of the New York Army National Guard, was killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) while he was on duty outside of Baghdad on Nov. 29, 2004. Prior to his tour of duty in Iraq, Engeldrum, who hailed from the Bronx, was a New York City firefighter assigned to Ladder Co. 61 in his native borough. He was a first responder at the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11 attack, assisting in the recovery effort. He is buried at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/ Arlington National Cemetery.
On Thursday, soldiers, firefighters, community leaders, Engeldrum’s wife Sharon, his mother Lenora, and members of his family gathered at the fort for a ceremony dedicating the bluff in his name.