Hundreds gathered in Nesconset Saturday morning to honor 40 fallen first responders whose names were added to the 9/11 Memorial Wall.
All of the honorees died from illnesses contracted at the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“They made a big sacrifice for all of us,” said Dorothy Becker, whose son was among those honored. “I’m truly proud of all of them.”
Becker’s son, NYPD Officer Ronald Becker, spent three months working in the search and recovery effort at Ground Zero after September 11. He died of lung cancer in 2012 at age 53.
Family members hope the wall serves as a lasting reminder that sacrifices are still being made 13 years later.
Since the memorial was first unveiled in 2011, 380 names have been recorded on the wall. An estimated 2,500 cases of cancer among September 11 responders have been reported since 2001.
