From the moment the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists on 9/11 and for months afterward, men and women from around the state descended on Lower Manhattan, where an around-the-clock operation was underway to first rescue and then recover victims of the worst terror strike on U.S. soil.
These heroes never considered politics, or even their own safety, before rushing into a toxic maelstrom at Ground Zero. They put the lives of others first. And in doing so, they showed the true character of New Yorkers for the world to see.
Today we know that many of those who served at Ground Zero were exposed, fatally in some cases, to dangerous toxins. In the years since 9/11, New York has tried to honor their heroism in part by ensuring health-care protections for those who became sick.