13 Children Of 9/11 Firefighters Lost To Graduate FDNY Firefighter Academy

When kids follow in their parents footsteps, it’s an endearing act that shows love and appreciation for the path their folks walked. With this particular case, it’s heartwarming, but also a little bittersweet. Two weeks from today, 13 people will graduate from FDNY Firefighter Academy. These graduates are the children of fathers who were firefighters lost due to 9/11.

The 13 graduates consist of 12 men and 1 woman taking on the career of their fathers. This class of firefighters will be the most “legacy” members to graduate since the attack. Josephine Smith will be the first daughter of a 9/11 firefighter to graduate. When asked about how it feels to follow in her father’s, Kevin Smith, footsteps, she replied, “I couldn’t be more honored to follow in my father’s footsteps and carry out his legacy.” She summarized with “It’s a big deal to me.”

It’s such a big honor to take on the role of someone who has made the ultimate sacrifice to help the people of this country. While we will always remember, it’s solidifies those lost in our memories when we have those who have already suffered such a great loss signing up to help the people. These new firefighters are tremendously brave, and we couldn’t be more proud of them, as I’m sure their fathers would be.

Where were you when the 9/11 attacks happened?