The FDNY Foundation joins the FDNY in honoring 39 FDNY members who died of illnesses related to their work in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center. Their names were added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall on Tuesday, September 9th in a ceremony at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn.
To date, more than 400 FDNY members have died of World Trade Center related illnesses. The FDNY Foundation will never forget the service and sacrifice of all FDNY members we have lost since 9/11.
“This year, we add 39 names to our World Trade Center Memorial Wall. These losses continue to mount, and our heartbreak continues to grow,” FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said during Tuesday’s remembrance ceremony. “To the families here today, I say: Thank you for coming. Thank you for letting us support you. Thank you, as well, for letting us have your loved ones for so long. Something we hear at the FDNY a lot is that we are a family. This means we share losses and pain. Everyone here today understands the agony of the sacrifice your loved ones made, and they mourn with you. They vow—as we all do—to never forget.”
“The names we add to the wall today are not just names on a plaque. They were parents, children, friends and colleagues,” Chief of Department John Esposito said. “World Trade Center illness has touched every corner of this Department—firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, fire marshals, officers, chiefs and our civilian workforce. For all of you gathered here, these names represent the people you loved. To each of you, we continue to make this promise: We will never forget them. Their courage, sacrifice and their bravery will always be a part of the history and spirit of this Department.”
The inscription on the Memorial Wall reads: “Dedicated to the memory of those who bravely served this department protecting life and property in the City of New York in the rescue and recovery effort at Manhattan Box 5-5-8087 World Trade Center.”
The names of the members added to the wall are as follows:
Firefighter Peter A. Quinn
Firefighter Arill Nyquist
Firefighter Stephen E. Russack
Firefighter Jose L. Hickson
Firefighter Joseph J. Scaramuzzino
Firefighter Joseph F. Tumulty
Firefighter Michael A. Wallace
Firefighter Edward D. Thompson
Firefighter James B. Johnsen
Firefighter John Tyrrell, Jr.
Captain Thomas S. LaBarbiera
EMS Lt Anthony S. Cozzino
Deputy Chief Nicholas J. Visconti
Lieutenant James S. Cooney, Sr.
Firefighter Thomas E. Ryan
Lieutenant Patrick J. Ward
Firefighter Christopher W. McCormack
EMS Division Chief Mark E. Steffens
Firefighter John F. Connolly
Firefighter Anthony F. Mastrelli
Firefighter Christopher J. Bach
Firefighter Lawrence T. Murphy
Auto Mechanic Richard O. Sarnes, Jr.
Firefighter Thomas H. Gavitt
Firefighter Neil G. Gimpel
Firefighter Michael A. DeBenedetto
Battalion Chief Dennis J. Collopy
Firefighter Thomas L. Dunn
Carpenter Frank T. Leanza
EMS Lieutenant Pamela Hehn
Lieutenant James T. Sweeney
Firefighter Brian T. Fitzgerald
Firefighter Edwin J. Steffens
Battalion Chief Eugene T. Kelty, Jr.
Firefighter Daniel J. McCauley
Firefighter Christopher J. Revere
Fire Marshal Ronald A. Mitchell
Lieutenant Vincent C. McMahon, Jr.
Firefighter Robert S. Okorn
The FDNY Foundation will never forget the bravery, sacrifice, dedication, and courage of these FDNY members. They will never be forgotten.
To view more photos, click HERE.