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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 7, 2023

CONTACT: pressoffice@doc.nyc.gov, (718) 546-0631

@CorrectionNYC NYC DOC TV

NYC Department of Correction Holds Annual September 11th Ceremony to Remember Members Lost to World Trade Center Illnesses and to Honor the Heroic Work of its Members in the World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Effort

Department to unveil new book featuring personal stories from DOC September 11th first responders

The New York City Department of Correction will hold its annual September 11th ceremony on Friday, September 8th at 10:00 a.m. on Rikers Island outside the Samuel L. Perry Center. At the ceremony, a wreath will be placed at the Department’s September 11th monument, which honors the members of DOC who have died of World Trade Center illnesses and all those who were killed in the attacks.

During the ceremony, the department will honor current and former members of DOC’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) who responded and took part in rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site. The department will also unveil a new commemorative book – Bold Responders: Voices from NYC Department of Correction’s Response to 9/11 – which features personal accounts from DOC members who responded on September 11th.

“New York’s Boldest stood tall on September 11th – they were front and center showing incredible resilience and courage as they raced towards the horrors unfolding at the World Trade Center. Their heroism fills us all with a great sense of pride and gratitude,” said Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “We will never forget them and all they did for our great city. With our new commemorative book detailing their bravery and a new display of DOC equipment from the rescue and recovery effort at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, we are ensuring the unwavering dedication displayed by Department of Correction members on September 11th will never be forgotten.”

About Bold Responders: Voices from NYC Department of Correction’s Response to 9/11:

The commemorative book features personal stories from individuals who worked at the agency and were at the World Trade Center during the rescue and recovery effort. The stories include recollections of racing towards the danger without hesitation, evacuating people from surrounding buildings during the attacks, search and rescue operations at Ground Zero, establishing a communications system for first responders immediately after the attacks, and interacting with the families of victims in the years that followed – including helping a widow receive first responder benefits. The book is a tribute to the growing number of Department of Correction members who have died from World Trade Center illness.

Promotional copies of the hardbound, glossy book will be donated in the future to select public libraries in New York City to memorialize the work of 9/11 first responders from the Department of Correction and ensure New Yorkers can learn their important and heroic stories.

Additional copies will be donated to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

About Department of Correction items on display at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum:

Further helping to cement the memory of DOC’s robust response to the terrorist attacks, for

the first time ever, beginning September 11th, artifacts from the agency’s personnel will be on display at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan.

A newly installed display case at Foundation Hall in the museum will share the story of the efforts of all NYC DOC first responders and will feature a respirator worn by retired correction Captain Philip Rizzo and work gloves worn by retired Correction Officer Brian Hanberry. Both pieces of equipment were used as they sifted through the rubble of the collapsed towers searching for survivors.

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The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment while providing individuals in our care with a path to successfully re-enter their communities.