It’s been a quarter century since the Sept 11th, 2001 terror attacks and the NYPD is making sure the heroes of that day, who ran to the danger, are never forgotten. Several of the Emergency Service Unit were honored Tuesday with a newly rededicated memorial wall at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that more than half of the NYPD officers who were killed on 9/11 were members of the ESU. “No single day exemplifies the bravery, the selflessness, the heroism, of this unit more proudly than Sept. 11th, 2001,” Tisch said. “ESU officers were the tip of the NYPD spear. They fought to get as many people as possible out of the buildings.”
“This wall is not merely wood, pictures and name plates. It is a permanent reminder that the highest traditions of the ESU department are written in the very lives of those who have given everything in the line of duty,” said Gerry Dowling, NYPD EMS commanding officer.
As the curtain fell during the ceremony, emotions rose, and 45 faces with 45 stories faced from the wall. The NYPD honored all the ESU members who died in the line of duty, including 14, who were killed on 9/11, like John D’Allara.
John D’Allara left not only a widow, Carol D’Allara, but two sons. One of them is now following in his father’s footsteps, and became an officer about a year and half ago.
Next to the wall and behind glass is a piece of his legacy – John D’Allara’s firearm. It was recovered from the World Trade Center months after the attack. “I really wanted to help people. He helped people until his last day. I would like to help as many people as I can while on this job,” Nicholas D’Allara said.
And on the memorial wall, which was strategically placed at the ESU training school, the names and faces will continue to watch over the next generation of officers.
It is a daily reminder of the courage, sacrifice and commitment to service that came before them.
