LI Son Who Lost Dad On 9/11 Meets Mike Piazza: 'Both Of My Heroes'

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Andrew Jordan, Jr. lost his father 22 years ago on 9/11. He was only 9 years old. His memories of his father are precious — and one that resonates most clearly, even now, is his father's love of the Mets.

Andrew Jordan, Sr. who lived with his wife Lisa and their children Andrew, Matthew and Kelsey — she was pregnant with their fourth child Sean, born 15 days after 9/11 — was a member of FDNY Engine 280, Ladder 132.

He was a man devoted to his family, a loving father who spent hours playing ball outside their home with his kids.

And even though he was just in fourth grade, Andrew remembers his father's love for the game, the Mets, and Mike Piazza, #31.

On Friday, Piazza, who has a longstanding annual tradition of visiting a firehouse in memory of the heroes lost on 9/11, visited Andrew Jordan's firehouse in Brooklyn, spending time with firefighters and with Jordan's three sons.

Andrew Jr. reflected on how much meeting Piazza meant to him.

"When I was a kid, there were two heroes that I always looked up to — my dad and Mike Piazza," he said.

He and his brothers were able to meet Mike Piazza at his dad's firehouse, a place where fellow firefighters have always gathered to pay tribute. "It was an honor to have both of my heroes by my side today," Andrew said.

Piazza was part of Andrew's childhood memories, the shared memories with his father he holds close in his heart. "My dad and I used to watch Mets games, and he was my baseball hero," Andrew said. "My dad told me Mike Piazza was a role model that I should look up to because of the way he conducted himself on and off the field."

He added: "When Mike Piazza came to the firehouse on Friday, both of my heroes got to meet — and it was incredibly special. I never thought this would happen, and it was great that both the firefighters and my brothers got to meet him and honor the members we have lost."

Despite the dull ache of eternal loss, life has gone on, the children grown now into young adults who've set out to achieve all of their father's dreams for them.

If he could talk to his father today, Andrew told Patch he has so much he'd like to tell him, to share with him how his life has blossomed.

He found the love of his life, he said, and graduated from law school. "I would not have been able to get to this point without his love and his strength," he said.

As always this year, Andrew and his family will go to their father's firehouse to spend 9/11 sharing memories and a bond that can only be shared by those who have endured, together, the unthinkable.

"I think about him every day, and I think about how great of a role model he is to me and so many other people," Andrew said. "I think about his courage and the selflessness he showed toward everyone, whether it was as a 9/11 first responder, or toward my family and our community."