By Donna Porstner
Staff Writer
December 7, 2007
STAMFORD - The Glenbrook Fire Department volunteer believed to
have been killed in the war is alive and well serving his country
in the Middle East, a U.S. Army spokeswoman said yesterday.
U.S. Army Spc. Gabriel Maldonado, 26, is serving in Iraq with his
unit from Fort Stewart, Ga., said Shari Lawrence, deputy public
affairs officer for the U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
Lawrence said she spoke to Maldonado's commander, who confirmed
he is a former volunteer firefighter for the Glenbrook
department.
Lawrence said she also spoke to Maldonado's mother, who Fire Lt.
Troy Jones said called the firehouse last Thursday to alert
members of her son's death.
The mother never placed the call and was not aware her son was
believed to be dead, Lawrence said.
"Imagine their surprise," Lawrence said. "Her
question was, 'Why would someone do that?' and I don't
know."
It's up to the fire department to investigate who placed the call
because the Army's inquiry is over, Lawrence said.
"The plot may be thickening - I don't know -Ębut that's for
the folks up there to deal with," she said.
Neither Glenbrook Fire Chief Frank Passero nor Jones returned
calls seeking comment yesterday.
The city is not investigating the erroneous report. Though the
Glenbrook firehouse is staffed by city employees and receives
city funding, it's an independent, autonomous organization.
Stamford Police spokesman Lt. Sean Cooney said police are not
investigating because no one has filed a complaint.
"I am not sure if this was a mistake, a mix-up, or somebody
did this intentionally, and until there's an investigation we
won't know," Cooney said.
Army officials became suspect after The Advocate and other news
organizations reported the fire department was mourning the loss
of one of its members and they had no record of anyone from
Stamford killed in the war, and no unidentified bodies.
Initially, fire officials identified the dead soldier as
Gabrielle Costello, who they said was a U.S. Army Ranger who
lived on Rose Street in the Glenbrook neighborhood.
The U.S. Department of Defense could not confirm the report of
Costello's death. A department spokesman said he could not verify
whether there was anyone by that name serving in the Army, saying
he could not give out that information.
On Monday, after reviewing personnel files, Passero said they may
have released the wrong name. He said Jones confused Maldonado
with another member, whose last name is Costello.
Despite the wrong name, members claimed to have remembered
Gabrielle Costello and announced plans to hold the department's
annual holiday tree lighting last Saturday in his memory. They
hung black bunting on the firehouse to mourn his passing.
After fire officials provided the correct name, Lawrence said she
was able to find a Gabriel Maldonado serving in the Army and
initiated a health and welfare check.
The mother and Maldonado asked that the Army not give out any
personal information, including where they live, Lawrence said.
Who made the phone call to the firehouse is unclear.
Earlier this week, Passero said he had no records of incoming
phone calls made to the firehouse Nov. 29 and no way to trace
calls.
Tom Alessi, a Belltown Fire Department volunteer who posted news
of the soldier's death on his Web site www.scanct.com said he had
no reason to doubt the reported death. Alessi said he was at the
Belltown firehouse when a fax from the Glenbrook department came
in, announcing the news. He called the Glenbrook firehouse to
verify officials there sent the fax because it was not on company
letterhead, which they did, Alessi said.
"I wouldn't have put it on the Web site if I didn't think it
was true," he said.
He said he never thought for a minute that it could have been a
hoax.
"I couldn't imagine anyone in Glenbrook doing this
maliciously because what would they gain from that? It's an
embarrassment," Alessi said. "Someone pulled a fast one
on them."
Police Capt. Gregory Tomlin, who oversees the city's 911 center,
said he listened to all incoming 911 calls and routine calls from
5:50 to 7 a.m. on Nov. 29. No one called reporting a soldier's
death, or asking to be connected to the Glenbrook firehouse
during that time period, he said. All phone calls to the 911
center are recorded, Tomlin said.
If a call was placed to the Glenbrook department during that time
period it was placed directly to the firehouse, Tomlin said.
Alessi said he hopes Glenbrook officials comb through their phone
records to determine who made the call.
"I would really like to know who called, and I think the
government would too," he said. "I hope that they find
out. That person should be punished."
Mayor Dannel Malloy said it was likely a prank, and "a
terrible thing to do," but he said there's nothing the city
can do at this point.
Malloy said he has no reason to doubt the fire department
received a call from someone claiming one of their volunteers was
killed in the war.
"I believe they received a call from someone and tried to
treat it appropriately," he said.
It's not the first time a report of a Connecticut soldier killed
in the war was deemed to be a hoax.
In 2004, a Waterbury man claimed the Defense Department called
him to report his wife, who was in the U.S. Army Reserves, was
killed in an explosion in Baghdad.
When the wife surfaced alive and well, Edward Valentin claimed he
was the victim of cruel joke. He later admitted to making up the
story and was charged with falsely reporting an incident.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.