A decorated city firefighter and Marine who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan was dedicated to being the best man he could be, his heartbroken father said Tuesday.
Firefighter Christopher Slutman, a father of three and a U.S. Marine reservist assigned to Ladder 27 in the Bronx, was killed Monday during a roadside bombing near the Bagram Air Base, north of the Afghan capital.
Slutman, 43, followed in his firefighter father’s footsteps, and took on the added duty of serving his country overseas. His father, Fletcher Slutman, said he was never sure which job was more dangerous.
“I was a firefighter. He saw me going to work,” Slutman told the Daily News. "He was at the firehouse when he was young. He was always interested in learning. He knew from 8 years old on that he wanted to be a New York City firefighter because that’s the best. And he wanted to be the best at what he was doing."