Nearly 40 names of first responders added to 9/11 memorial during touching ceremony

The names of almost 40 first responders who died from 9/11-related illnesses were added to FDNY's memorial at the department’s Brooklyn headquarters on Tuesday (9 September).

On 11 September 2001, two planes were hijacked by al-Qaeda, who deliberately crashed them into the two World Trade Centre Twin Tower buildings, claiming the lives of more than 2,700 people.

The Twin Towers ultimately collapsed because of the damage sustained from the impacts and the resulting fires.

However, it wasn't just those inside the towers and the people onboard the planes who tragically lost their lives.

More than 400 first responders, including firefighters and police officers, were killed as they rushed to save the lives of the people at Ground Zero.

And many of these brave people inhaled toxic chemicals that would see them diagnosed with potentially fatal health conditions even years later.

Tomorrow marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11 (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The US government even has a World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, which aims to provide medical monitoring and treatment to those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks.

The program has many as 127,567 members, as per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all of whom have been affected by the terror attack in some way.

Diagnoses include cancer, autoimmune diseases, asthma, respiratory illnesses and lingering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to name a few.

And over 82,000 of these people were responding officers and volunteers who rushed to the site to help uncover potential survivors and the bodies of the deceased.

By December 2023, 6,781 of them had died from an illness or cancer, which doctors insisted had been in relation to their time on site.

That figure is twice the number of people who died on September 11 2001.

And on Tuesday, 39 firefighters were added to the names that were already on the FDNY’s World Trade Center memorial.

One FDNY officer, Deputy Chief Nicholas J. Doherty, bravely drove straight to the centre of the disaster, his daughter emotionally recalled.

At least 402 firefighters who contracted illnesses 9/11 have died and are honoured on the FDNY’s memorial wall (Getty Stock Image)

As per the New York Post, his daughter Nicole Doherty said: “He drove straight to the World Trade Center. He spent the whole day and night there. We did not know his whereabouts.

"We heard from other fellow firefighters … they saw him at Ground Zero. So they wanted to tell my mom that he was alive and just to wait to hear from him in the rubble."

He served for three decades with the FDNY and died at age 80 on September 20, 2024.

Another of those honoured was firefighter Jose L. Hickson, 66, who dropped everything he was doing to rush to the attack and help others, despite his daughter begging him not to go.

Hickson lost his life to cancer on April 9, 2024.

The emotional ceremony saw a bell be rung for each fallen officer, with a family member or representative for each victim placing a white rose to pay tribute.

Photos of their faces played on a big screen as their family's said goodbye as their names were added to the wall.