NEW YORK — The FDNY unveiled a new World Trade Center Retired Responders Memorial Wall during dedication ceremonies at its Brooklyn headquarters on June 12.
The wall honors 154 retired FDNY members who responded to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 attacks to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, the department reported. All later died from WTC-related illnesses.
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“This moment, this place, at this time, we are all experiencing something together. We have exactly the same thing in common. We are one people. We are the family of FDNY,” Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. “It’s my privilege to welcome you home today.”
The new memorial wall stands directly across from the World Trade Center Memorial Wall, which honors FDNY members who were on active duty during the Sept. 11 attacks and later died from WTC-related illnesses.
“We are pleased to dedicate this wall because we know it more completely tells the story of September 11th,” Chief of Department John Esposito said. “I know and I remember, the impact that our retired members had in the response and recovery, and rebuilding after that terrible day.”
To accommodate the large number of family members and friends attending, the FDNY dedicated the memorial plaques over three days: June 9 for responders from Manhattan and the Bronx; June 10 for those from Staten Island and Brooklyn; and June 11 for responders from Queens.
“In the safe confines of our World Trade Center Health Program, they fought through the treatments, the surgeries, transplants, pain, suffering, and the uncertainty of whether they would see the next day,” Chief Medical Officer David Prezant said.
