Rescue and Recovery Workers

Suffolk County detective Phil Alvarez lost his brother Luis, an NYPD detective who spent months at Ground Zero, to 9/11-related cancer.

Salvatore (Sal) Annerino was a district superintendent for the New York City Department of Sanitation on 9/11, then spent the next nine months at the site. 

Dennis Diggins served as Deputy Director at Fresh Kills for the Department of Sanitation during the rescue and recovery efforts.

Bridget Gormley lost her father, firefighter William (Billy) in 2017 from cancer caused by exposure to toxins at Ground Zero. Today she's a filmmaker and advocate for those suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.

Sculptor, welder, and metalworker Rafe Greco met his wife Bianca while working at Ground Zero with the Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 79.  

Father Brian Jordan spent 9/11 blessing bodies at Ground Zero and went on to minister at Ground Zero and deliver Mass there for nearly 10 months. 

Charlie Kaczorowski was with the Department of Design & Construction on September 11; he spent months at Ground Zero helping with rescue and recovery efforts. Kaczorowski died in March 2022.

Dr. Kerry Kelly, who served as the FDNY's Chief Medical Officer on 9/11 and in the years that followed, shares the unique perspectives her role afforded her.

Lila Nordstrom parlayed her experience as a high school student on 9/11 into a life of health care advocacy. 

Anthony Palmieri, a Department of Sanitation worker, was uptown the morning of September 11th and managed to make it home to New Jersey later that day. But it wasn't long before he was back in the city, playing an integral role in the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero.

Less than a week before 9/11, veteran and Visionary Network co-founder John Paluska was a rising college freshman in Iowa. Within seven days, he had witnessed the attacks and volunteered as a rescue and recovery worker at Ground Zero, a decision which altered the course of his life. 

NYC Department of Correction officer Philip Rizzo began the day at Riker's Island then finished it - and spent the next few months - heavily involved with the rescue and recovery efforts.  

John Ryan, Port Authority Police Department, has a history with the World Trade Center dating back top 1977. In his Q&A, he talks about realizing the U.S. was under attack, organizing search teams, keeping them safe, recovering bodies, and the bond he feels with the entire rescue and recovery community.

The German Shepherd Atlas was among hundreds of 9/11 canine heroes. 

Rob Serra left the FDNY Training Academy a mere one day before the attacks of 9/11. 

Gary Smiley, an FDNY paramedic, was covering a friend's shift the morning of 9/11. He spent hours trapped under an ambulance, finally digging himself out only to end up in complete kidney failure. 

September 11th ultimately became the first day of Dr. Alison Thompson's full-time humanitarian first responder career. She spent nine months at Ground Zero.