Of the many 1199 heroes on Sept. 11, 2001, one made the ultimate sacrifice. Cabrini Hospital EMT Marc Sullins, aged 30, lost his life trying to save 9/11 victims.

Although Sullins’ shift had ended when he learned that the World Trade Towers had been attacked, Sullins and Iris Gomez, the EMT he was paired with on that day, raced to the scene. The two immediately began treating victims.

After removing victims from one of the towers, Sullins told Gomez that he was going back for more victims. Gomez suggested that they continue to work outside because the building did not look safe. Determined, Sullins returned to the building.

Ten minutes later the tower collapsed. Gomez and other Cabrini emergency service personnel spent much of the day at a nearby staging area waiting to be sent out on rescue calls and waiting for returning fellow workers. It is there that they learned that Sullins was among the missing.

In the first days after his disappearance, co-workers decorated Sullins’ locker with ribbons and flowers. “Not having confirmation was the hardest, the not knowing,” Alison Groia – Sullins’ work partner – told 1199 News.

On Sept. 20, 1199 delegates gathered at Harlem’s Apollo Theater to honor Sullins. Pres. Dennis Rivera announced that the Union had established a $25,000 scholarship fund for Sullins’ children, Julian, 4, and Cristian, 18 months. Sullins also left behind his young wife, Evelyn. Today, EMT Marc Sullins is remembered as one of 1199’s greatest heroes and martyrs.