De Laugh & Smile

5. Officer Thomas Jurgens

Officer Jurgens was trained as a medic in the Army before signing on with the New York State Office of the courts. On September 11th, Officer Jurgens was inside the first tower. As the tower’s structural integrity worsened, Officer Jurgens was warned to get out. The last radio transmission from Jurgens was: “There are people here who need our help.”

4. Captain Kathy Mazza

Captain Mazza was the first female commanding officer at the Port Authority Police Academy. And just like so many others, Captain Mazza and her collegues responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Mazza saw a bottleneck of people trying to escape through the revolving doors at the north tower and noticed they were unable to do so because of the hysteria. Mazza drew her weapon and shot out the glass, allowing many people to escape the building. Mazza was last seen with Lt Robert Cirri, carrying a woman down the steps, when the tower collapsed. Mayor Rudy Guiliani said of Captain Mazza: “She was a trailblazer with a career that was truly unique. She had an incredible desire to help people. She’s an American hero.”

3. Officer Kenneth Tietjen

As a boy, Officer Tietjen was scared of two things: police cars and fire trucks. When he got a job that required him to ride in both of those, his family never stopped teasing him. On September 11th, Officer Tietjen heard the calls for help, commandeered a taxi, and drove to ground zero. Officer Tietjen rushed into the North tower, and rescued several people. When he emerged from the building, he and his partner realized that there was only one respirator left. Officer Tietjen smiled at his partner and said, “Seniority rules.” He then grabbed the respirator and rushed back into the tower—just before it collapsed.

2. Officer Richard Guadagno

Officer Guadagno was returning from vacation on United Flight 93 when it was hijacked. It may never be known, but there is reason to believe that Officer Guadagno was among passengers that tried to retake the flight, which led to the plane crashing into a field in Pennslyvania, rather than its intended target.

1. Officer Dominick Pezzulo

Officer Pezzulo was stationed at the doors of a New York bus terminal when he heard the call for help at the World Trade Center. He and four other officers commandeered a bus and drove to the the scene. Once inside, one of his fellow officers became trapped under a large slab of concrete. Working under extremely cramped conditions, Officer Pezzulo attempted to free the officer. The collapse of the second tower triggered the settling of debris, and Officer Pezzulo became trapped under a concrete wall. Mortally wounded, Officer Pezzulo fired a shot from his service revolver to try and summon rescue workers. Officer Pezzulo’s last words were: “Willie, don’t forget. I died trying to save you guys,” refering to Will Jimeno, the officer he fought to free from the concrete slab. Pezzulo was honored in the Oliver Stone film “World Trade Center”.