TOP CHARACTER STRENGTHS

BRAVERY - HUMOR - TEAMWORK

Albert John Mallen, Jr. was the second of three children raised by Albert Sr. and Peggy. The nickname "Albie" quickly stuck during childhood. Albie's father, a Marine, member of the Army National Guard, and officer with the New Jersey State Police, ran a strict household. When Albie showed prowess on the field as a quarterback and pitcher, his father pushed him to be better. Excellence was not enough. Perfection was the standard.

Mere days before Albie started high school, his father was shot and killed while executing a drug raid with NJSP. With the support of family, friends, coaches, and the police, fire and rescue communities, Albie thrived in athletics during high school. He had a cannon for an arm and dazzled on the field with his poise, talent, and determination.

Some of his high school records still hold, and his football team is spoken about in South Jersey with reverence to this day. His collegiate career did not pan out and he returned home to find a different locker room that suited his strengths. Albie flourished as a firefighter in Atlantic City for more than 20 years. His endurance and unwillingness to fail made him an immediate asset to the ACFD. Albie threw his body and soul into being the best firefighter he could be, and often lamented the "shit birds" who treated the occupation with carelessness.

That term was an example of his humor, which was viciously hilarious. Albie did not so much talk to people as he filled a room and held court. The firehouse gave him a forum to "bust balls" and build the type of camaraderie that only exists in sports teams, military units, and firehouses. He was loved by his colleagues, teammates, family and friends; and he routinely made them all feel like the most important person in the room.

Albie trained in Urban Search & Rescue; he was involved in the early days of the 9/11 response. He worked a parking garage collapse in Atlantic City that resulted in four deaths. Albie pulled bodies out of the rubble, some were alive and others were not. One of the deceased bodies was the father of a high school friend.

Throughout life, Albie had been exposed to countless traumatic events and the brutal fact that time is not guaranteed for any of us.

Albie coped with that trauma the way most who wear a uniform do; he used dark humor, relied on alcohol as a social and emotional lubricant, and he kept his head down while working two jobs relentlessly to provide for his family.

Over the years, Albie withdrew. His marriage ended in a divorce and his fire department was going through salary cuts and changes to working hours. Feeling alone and that he was a burden, he ended his life in June 2017. The void he left behind remains immense nearly 10 years later. Heroes like Albie Mallen are put on a pedestal and never forgotten, though we strive to ensure they have the support and treatment they need and deserve so we can celebrate their accomplishments with them, and not just in their memory.

Character Strength Story:

Bravery - Albie's rescue skills were needed beyond his professional life; he once encountered a woman yelling that her child was drowning. Albie raced into the backyard to find a limp body in the pool. He worked on the child until an ambulance arrived. The child did not survive. Even in the face of fear and unknown, he served the best he could.

-Submitted by Michael, Surviving Brother & Willow, Surviving Stepsister