Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed America and the fire service forever, members of the Troy Fire Department who answered the call and assisted with recovery efforts at Ground Zero were honored for their service to the country.

Members of the Van Rensselaer Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered with members of the Troy Fire Department for a special recognition of the Troy firefighters who traveled to New York City following the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Liz Curley, Regent of the Van Rensselaer Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, opened the ceremony by thanking Troy Fire Chief Richard Cellucci and the members of the department for allowing the DAR to recognize the 25th anniversary of September 11 and the Troy firefighters who took part in the recovery efforts.

September 11 remains a day that changed the American fire service forever. Firefighters from departments across the country answered the call following the attacks, traveling to New York City to help their brothers and sisters during a time of unimaginable loss.

The Troy Fire Department was among those departments that answered that call.

Members left their families and the city they protected and traveled to Ground Zero, where they joined the massive recovery operation taking place in the remains of the World Trade Center. They worked alongside firefighters, police officers, construction workers, heavy equipment operators and countless other responders who came together from across the country.

Twenty-five years later, the Van Rensselaer Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution wanted to make sure their service was not forgotten.

As part of the ceremony, the DAR specially created a personalized September 11 “We Remember” memorial flag specifically for the Troy Fire Department members who served during the Ground Zero recovery efforts.

This was not simply a standard memorial flag presented to the department. The flag was specially made by the DAR to recognize these individuals and includes the names of the Troy Fire Department members who participated in the recovery efforts. The personalized flag was presented to the Troy Fire Department to be hung inside the fire station as a permanent piece of the department’s history.

For the firefighters who were there, the flag represents a part of their lives they will never forget. For today’s members and future generations of Troy firefighters, it will serve as a reminder that members of their own department were among those who answered the call when New York City and the country needed help.

The DAR also presented individual Certificates of Appreciation recognizing each member for their contribution to the Ground Zero search and recovery efforts.

Those honored were Chief Thomas Garrett, Battalion Chief Thomas Adams, Battalion Chief James Hughs, Captain John Carboni, Captain Raymond Davis, Captain Gary Favro, Captain Michael Kelleher, Captain Enrico Moreno, Lieutenant Eric McMahon, Lieutenant Conrad Moss, Firefighter Paul Denio, Firefighter David Judge, Firefighter William Miller, Firefighter Michael Murnane, Firefighter Randall Pascucci and Firefighter Vincent Sadowski.

Sadowski’s path was different from the other members honored. He was working heavy equipment during the September 11 recovery operation and would later go on to join the Troy Fire Department, continuing his service as a firefighter in the Collar City.

For the Troy Fire Department, the specially made flag now hanging in the station tells a story that goes far beyond a list of names.

It tells the story of Troy firefighters who responded to something more than 150 miles away from the city they normally protected because their fellow firefighters and fellow Americans needed them.

The fire service lost 343 FDNY firefighters on September 11, 2001. In the days, weeks and months that followed, firefighters from across the United States came to New York City to help carry an unbelievable burden. Troy was part of that effort.

A quarter century later, there are young firefighters entering the fire service who were not alive when the attacks occurred. As those generations enter Troy’s firehouses, they will now be able to look at the memorial flag and see the names of Troy firefighters who were there.

The specially created DAR flag will remain behind long after the ceremony is over, hanging inside the Troy Fire Department and preserving an important piece of the department’s history.

September 11 showed America some of the greatest loss it had ever experienced, but it also showed the country what the fire service means when firefighters say they are a brotherhood.

When help was needed, Troy firefighters went.

Twenty-five years later, the Daughters of the American Revolution made sure their names, their service and their part in that history will not be forgotten.