Shortly after noon on Monday, September 12, 2016, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund ( NLEOMF ) hosted a special remembrance ceremony at the Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, in honor of all our fallen 9/11 law enforcement heroes. The ceremony paid tribute to the 72 officers who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001, as well as those 9/11 First Responders who served on the search and rescue teams at Ground Zero and ‎ultimately died from medical related issues.

Memorial Fund Chief of Staff Herbert Giobbi officiated the ceremony. Federal Law Enforcement Officers Foundation President and NLEOMF Vice Chairman Jon Adler delivered the keynote remarks, and heralded the honor and patriotism of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Following those remarks, the fallen officers' names were read aloud, and NLEOMF Board Officers Jon Adler and Ken Hartwick placed a special 9/11 Memorial wreath at the section of the Memorial Wall where all the 9/11 heroes' names are inscribed. The names of the 72 officers are engraved together on the Memorial's west wall on Line 23 of Panels 9 through 22. Also, the names of 13 officers who died from subsequent illnesses related to rescue and recovery work at Ground Zero and other sites were included in the reading of names.

"It has been fifteen years since September 11, 2001, but we all remember it like it was yesterday," shared Memorial Fund Chief of Staff Herbert Giobbi. "Many of the memories about 9/11 and its aftermath are not all bad—the heroes, the patriotism that was ignited, and the public's outpouring of support for our public safety officers. Today, at this Memorial, we pause from our daily routine to pay tribute to those law enforcement officers who died that day, and those officers who died from illnesses resulting from their efforts to find survivors and restore the World Trade Center site."

NLEOMF Board Officers Jon Adler and Ken Hartwick carry a special 9/11 Memorial wreath at a special remembrance ceremony at the Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. (Photo: NLEOMF)

September 11, 2001, remains the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history when 72 peace officers were killed in the line of duty during the terrorist attacks that shook the nation. Fifteen years after that horrific day, these heroic men and women were remembered along with the officers who have died from subsequent illnesses related to rescue and recovery efforts.

"On 9/11, seventy-two officers made the ultimate sacrifice responding to the terrorist attacks on our homeland," shared Mr. Adler. "These officers ran towards danger while others retreated to safety. The officers charged into the Twin Towers without having a risk assessment plan or concern for their wellness. There was only their sense of mission, their sense of honor, and their unrelenting desire to save lives," Mr. Adler stated.

(Photo: NLEOMF)

The names of 72 officers killed on 9/11 and those who died from subsequent illnesses related to rescue and recovery efforts can be found on the Memorial Fund's website at www.LawMemorial.org/911RollCall . The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial contains the names of more than 20,000 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history.