NYPD Officer Follows in Footsteps of Father Killed on 9/11
He was just 8 years old when his father and uncle both died in the line of duty on 9/11. Now, 23-year-old Joseph Vigiano Jr. has followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming an NYPD officer.
A former Marine, Vigiano was one of 600 recruits recently sworn in at a police academy in Queens, according to the New York Daily News.
"I’ve been waiting for this all my life," Vigiano told the Daily News. "As a kid I always wanted to be a police officer or in the military and now I get to do both."
His father, NYPD Detective Joseph Vigiano, was killed attempting to rescue those trapped in the World Trade Center. His uncle, John Vigiano Jr., was a third-generation FDNY firefighter and was also killed responding to the towers.
"My father truly did love his job and if I could just experience a fraction of that, it’ll be all worth it," Vigiano told reporters.
Watch the animated short by StoryCorps of John Vigiano Sr., a retired FDNY firefighter, as he reminisces about his sons John Vigiano Jr. and Joseph Vigiano.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff
The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
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