Bernie Cornell speaks in a raspy voice, without the boom it had before.

That was one of Cornell's trademarks, a voice that wrapped you in a bear hug, no matter the topic.

Cornell's thyroid cancer is the topic these days. And the potential connection between the Sept. 11 attacks and his illness. And his future as a lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department. He's based in Brooklyn.

Cornell, once a slugging third baseman at Merrimack Valley High and Plymouth State College, was diagnosed with cancer last spring, nearly seven years after he helped clean up the mess in lower Manhattan.

His thyroid was removed in June, leaving him cancer free. But his vocal cords were damaged during the surgery, leaving him with no voice, not even a whisper.

He can speak now, but Cornell remains out of work. The spirit and hand movements behind the voice and words are still there, but Cornell can't be a firefighter again unless he can communicate clearly. And there are no guarantees.

He traces his cancer to the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. The link between the air those in the area breathed and various ailments they now suffer is more apparent as the years pass.

Three other 9/11 firefighters who work with Cornell at the firehouse in Brooklyn also have cancer. A fundraiser for the four of them will be held next month.

"They always said it would take about seven years for things to start popping up," Cornell said last week from his home on Long Island. "And it's not just firefighters, not at all. Anyone who was down in the pit that day could be involved."

Cornell, a father of three young children, is not a volunteer or part-time firefighter, nor is he someone who planned on putting in some time, then moving on to something else.

He's a firefighter, period. His father, brothers, cousins and uncles all were or are firefighters. He fought fires as a student at Plymouth State College, working in the town's station when he wasn't hitting fastballs over the fence.

He resettled in New York, where he grew up, after living in the Concord area for 10 years. His parents and brothers have since relocated there as well.

Cornell married a Long Island woman named Annemarie and had life pretty well sorted out. He played in the softball games and attended the picnics that helped bond firefighters into a tight fraternity.

Cornell was on duty in Woodside, Queens, the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a clear day. He heard the scanner, switched on the TV and saw that one of the towers at the World Trade Center had been hit by something.

"We got our ticket to go to the call at 9:02," Cornell said. "You're going in like a task force going into the towers. We were the first ones to the (Midtown) tunnel from Queens, ready to go in. One of chiefs got word that they were checking the tunnel to make sure it wasn't booby-trapped. They were looking for a secondary device."

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