Jay L Heath

The FDNY added 36 names to the World Trade Center Memorial Wall on Wednesday at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn, honoring the members who died over the past year from illnesses related to their work in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center. As we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11th, we remember that the impact of that day didn't end when fires were extinguished or when the recovery efforts concluded. In the years since, hundreds of FDNY members have died from illnesses connected to their heroic work, and countless others continue to battle WTC-related diseases. Each name added to our World Trade Center Memorial Wall represents a life of service, sacrifice and an enduring legacy within the FDNY. Twenty-five years later, our promise remains unchanged. We will Never Forget.

On Aug. 2, 1978, six FDNY firefighters made the Supreme Sacrifice while battling a fire at a Waldbaum's supermarket in Brooklyn. It remains one of the deadliest fires in the Department's history. Twenty members were operating on the roof when the supermarket's center section suddenly collapsed, sending 12 firefighters into the flames below. We honor the memory of: • Lt. James E. Cutillo, Battalion 33 • Firefighter Charles S. Bouton, Ladder 156 • Firefighter Harold F. Hastings, Battalion 42 • Firefighter James P. McManus, Ladder 153 • Firefighter William O'Connor, Ladder 156 • Firefighter George S. Rice, Ladder 153 Forty-eight years later, we continue to remember their courage, their sacrifice and their commitment to protecting New Yorkers. We will never forget them.