Remembering Our Brothers...

Chapter Eternal

On this day nineteen years ago, the Legion of Honor tragically lost four brothers in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Below are links to biographies about each of these brothers and a brief personal anecdote about each of our brothers. Help us keep these brother’s memory alive and let them inspire us to live a life of honor.

Lt. Michael Scott Lamana, US Navy (Louisiana State)

One of Lamana’s teachers at St. Aloysius said she remembers his sense of humor and book smarts. But Sister Rosary Arocena said she is most proud of his decisions about what to do with his life.

“I see him as a hero who gave his life for our country, and I really admire him.” she said.

“He could have been something else, and he chose to serve his country.”

“He loved his job. He loved the military,” said his father, Jay. “He was just getting into a good part of his life, everything was just going really well for him.”

James Andrew Gadiel (Washington and Lee)

James was a kindhearted, interesting, and intelligent young man, whom I had the honor and pleasure of knowing both during college and during his brief time in NY. James had only just moved to NYC to work at Cantor Fitzgerald, when the 9/11 attacks occurred. We had reconnected that prior weekend along with many other (then) recent Lambda chapter graduates, and in fact James was at my apartment the Sunday prior to the attacks to watch the opening weekend of the NFL. Our last conversation centered around plans to go to a Mets game together.

Looking back on that day 12 years hence, I’m struck by the enormity of the loss of James in ways I don’t think I could’ve imagined when I was 25. The Lambda chapter alums who gathered that weekend, unknowingly seeing James for the last time, have moved on with their lives. Like me, many have gone on to marry and have children, built careers, and hopefully hold to the values of love, honor and truth that were instilled to us by Sigma Nu. All of that potential that James had, was snuffed out in an instant — which makes the loss even more tragic as time goes on.

James was a valued fraternity brother, a good guy, and a friend. I think back to the last time I saw him often — as a reminder of the preciousness of life, and the value of living one’s days to their fullest potential.

He is, and always will be, missed. – Doug Hesney (Washington and Lee)

Peter Christopher Frank (Delaware)

When the planes struck, Peter Frank – who grew up in Great Neck – was emailing his groomsmen to ask them to prepare their tuxedos for his upcoming wedding to Karen Carlucci, said his mother, Constance Frank, of Great Neck and Rhode Island.

The wedding was to take place Oct. 19 – a date that still can be hard to endure for his family and fiancee, who remains close to Frank’s parents and has never married.

“It’s so hard to lose such a wonderful son, with so much potential to be a happy man,” his mother said. “He was loyal, smart and fun.” The family held a memorial Mass for Frank 10 days after Sept. 11, and buried his remains when they were found.