On Monday April 16th Lt. Richard Nappi of the FDNY gave his life in performance of his duty. Rich was a father, husband, brother, and he was my friend. I met Rich at Shea Stadium in October of 2003 at a Springsteen concert.

He was at the WBAB booth asking if I was around. He had heard me on the air and knew I was a Springsteen fan. Knowing that like him I was a fan he brought me some memorabilia. Rich and I spoke a lot that day and became quick friends. He brought that memorabilia to me with no thought of anything in return. As I look back over the time I’ve known him I realize he did that often. 

Rich and I spoke about the fire service from time to time because I had been a Fireman when I was younger. Rich did it not only for New York City but also as a volunteer for the Farmingville Fire Department. I guess you could say it was his calling. The last time we saw each other I had lunch with him and his wife Mary Anne. During lunch we discussed his kids, a community fundraiser, Springsteen and of course the seriousness of firefighting. 

One thing you need to know about Rich is that he was funny, he broke balls but he was serious about firefighting. Rich would say anything at any time to anybody and not worry about it at all. After he said whatever was on his mind (Which was usually very funny) he would look at you and grin with all his teeth. If you didn’t laugh at what he said the site of that grin would crack you up.

There is a picture here of Rich giving that grin. It was taken by his buddy Derek Fine at a Mets game at Shea Stadium. You’ll notice in the picture that Rich has his head shaved. Every year Rich shaved his head for a St. Baldricks fundraiser. They raise money to help kids with cancer. So really, that picture is Rich, the man who did so much for others but made you laugh with all the things that came out of his mouth.

Rich loved music too, mostly the music of Bruce Springsteen. We spoke about that often both being members of The E Street Nation as some of us Springsteen fans think of ourselves. Rich also worked in a record store, a real record store. He was proud of that too. He was also a Twisted Sister and Zebra fan. In fact just days before his death I texted him to see if he wanted to see Zebra. He replied back he couldn’t, he was working. I replied “OK, maybe next time”. Sadly there will be no next time. 

To me Rich was “Mr. Jackass”. I once called him Jackass to which he replied, “That’s Mr. Jackass to you”. From that day forward I referred to him as “Mr. Jackass” on many occasions. He never once took offence and none was ever intended. I always knew when he called me whether it was on the WBAB request line or on my cell because the first words out of his mouth were “I am WBAB, did I win?”

I’m proud to say that Rich was WBAB. Rich was also something else, he was a hero. He did agree to talk to me about September 11th 2001. He was off that day but went to work when disaster struck. If I had ever called him a hero to his face I’m sure he would have made a joke out of it. 

So that is Rich Nappi as I knew him. Rich was a father, husband, Fireman, brother, cut up, Long Islander, and friend. So from now on I will always think of him as my friend “Mr. Jackass” and as a hero. I am lucky to have known you and proud to call you friend. I love you and I miss you, God Speed!!!