Police Officer George Howard JFK International Airport Emergency Service Unit P.O. Shield #1012
Port Authority Officer George Howard, 44, of Hicksville, NY, a 16 year veteran of the PAPD and 25 year member of the Hicksville Fire Department, was at home when the first plane hit the WTC.  A founding member of the Port Authority's elite Emergency Service Unit, he was was extremely knowledgeable about rescuing techniques.  Although it was his day off and he had planned on playing golf with a friend, he rushed to the scene to help with the rescues and was there before the second tower collapsed, trapping him in the wreckage and debris.  He gave his life saving others. George was one of the lucky individuals that didn't just tolerate his job, he loved it! Never one to boast, Howard had been hailed a hero on several occasions, including rescuing several school children trapped in an elevator in the 1993 WTC bombing.  Of the many medals he received for his heroism, he'd only reply, "That's what they pay us for." When President Bush visited the scene of the attacks in NYC and the victim's families, Officer Howard's mother presented him with her son's most prized possession, PAPD Shield #1012. Click HERE to read more about Officer Howard.

Police Officer Stephen Huczko Newark International Airport Command P.O. Shield #1778
Stephen "Steve" Huczko, 45, of Bethlehem, NJ, was a 15 year veteran of the Port Authority Police Department. At the Port Authority's Jersey City headquarters on the morning of September 11th, he was among those who rushed to help with the rescue effort. He never made it out of the lobby of One World Trade Center before it collapsed. His body was discovered just inches from the bodies of four other PAPD officers. It appears the heroic group was trying to make one last selfless attempt to save a woman found nearby and were only 2 feet from an exit when the building fell. Steve had received various citations for exemplary police actions, including a Valor Award for his heroic efforts during the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. In August 1997 he was at Newark International Airport, and involved in the rescue efforts when a Federal Express plane crashed. A base drummer for the Port Authority Pipe and Drum Band, Huczko was also a certified registered nurse.

Police Inspector Anthony Infante JFK International Airport Command Commanding Officer Inspector's Shield #7

Even as a child, Anthony "Tony" Infante, Jr. knew he would grow up to be a policeman.  The highest-ranking policeman at JFK Airport, Infante, 46, of Chatham, NJ, was attending a Port Authority meeting in Jersey City when he heard about the plane crashes at the Twin Towers.  The 21 year veteran of the PAPD, rushed to the towers to help in the rescue effort, making it inside the North Tower in time to calm people as they descended.   He was seen going up the stairs, aiding victims, calmly assuring people that there was a way out, and giving his coat to one man to protect him from burning materials. Click HERE to read "37 Cops in Blue" a poem by Joan Komash, Inspector Infante's Sister-in-Law

Police Officer Paul Jurgens Port Authority Police Department Academy P.O. Shield #1048
On September 11th, Port Authority Police Officer Paul Jurgens, 47, of Levittown, NY, was driving from JFK International Airport to Jersey City when he heard about the attacks at the World Trade Center.  He was last seen as he detoured and rushed to help the victims of the attacks.  Jurgens, a 21 year veteran of the PAPD and instructor at the Port Authority's Rescue Training Center, was one of the first to respond that fateful day.  In 1992, he rushed onto a burning jumbo jet that had crashed on takeoff at Kennedy and helped usher all 292 passengers to safety.  In 1993 at the WTC bombing, the former U.S. Marine Corps. Corporal, carried many of the injured from the buildings.  Paul, always one of the first to respond whenever there was a need, was also an East Meadow Fire Department volunteer and coached P.A.L. Baseball. The Paul Jurgens Foundation

Sergeant Robert Kaulfers PATH Emergency Service Unit Sergeant's Shield #131
Shortly after learning of the attack on the WTC, Sgt. Robert "Bob" Kaulfers, 49, of Kenilworth, NJ, rushed from the PATH Bureau in Hoboken, NJ to New York where he moved swiftly into the complex and up into the buildings directing and assisting the fleeing.  After the second impact, Bob continued his rescue efforts and at the ultimate collapse of the World Trade Center Tower Two he lost his life. The former investigator for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Narcotics Task Force, Bob began his PAPD career as a facility operator agent in 1979.  The Port Authority promoted him to sergeant in January 1996, and from there he was assigned to the bus terminal in New York City and the PATH Commuter Railroad ESU.  It was Bob who gave his squad it's moto, "Eat early and often".  Port Authority officials say he was considered the poet laureate of PATH, primarily for the songwriting and singing talents he displayed at fellow officers' retirement parties.

Police Officer Paul Laszczynski PATH Emergency Service Unit P.O. Shield #1786
Paul Laszczynski, 49, of Paramus, NJ, liked the idea of helping people and always had wanted to be a policeman.  Moments after the attacks on the Twin Towers, the Port Authority Emergency Service Unit Officer, was dispatched from his station at the PATH in Journal Square to the WTC where he was last heard from helping victims in the lobby of the North Tower.  He had received the Fraternal Order of Police Valor Award for helping to carry someone down more than 70 flights of stairs during the 1993 WTC bombing.  As a member of the Emergency Service Unit, Laszczynski was accustomed to rappelling down elevator shafts, scaling the George Washington Bridge to talk down would-be jumpers, and pulling people from burning buildings.   In his 15 years as a PAPD officer his position with the Port Authority's Honor Guard, carrying the American flag was more important to him than most of his commendations.  He enjoyed the risk-taking demands of his job, and treasured the camaraderie of his fellow officers in the Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club, a group that raises money for children's charities.

Police Officer David Lemagne PATH Command P.O. Shield #834
Officer David "Dave" Lemagne, 27, of North Bergen, NJ, was a not only a Port Authority Police Officer, with one year PAPD service, he was also Tour Chief of the Jersey City Medical Center, in charge of Emergency Services and a Team Paramedic at the NJSEA Meadowlands Arena. Assigned to the PATH in Jersey City, Lemagne reported witnessing the first collision.  He was told to stay put, but asked to be sent to the Trade Center because of his training as a paramedic.  He immediately responded to Two World Trade Center where it is believed the Port Authority had set up a triage center.  At the WTC Dave saved two fellow comrades of the Port Authority Police, among them two superior officers; a third civilian security guard; and led a line of people out of one of the towers.  He was last seen on the Concourse level running into the second tower just moments after after the first came crashing down.

Police Officer John Lennon PATH Emergency Service Unit P.O. Shield #1170
John "Jay" Lennon, 44, a previous member of the Port Authority's Emergency Service and Rescue Unit was one of the many rescuers, who on September 11th, lead victims out of the smoke-filled WTC towers and to safety, then ran back in an attempt to rescue others.  It was on his last trip in that Jay was caught in the collapse.  He was in Jersey City, performing his duties as a Court Liaison, when he heard of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and immediately rushed to help in the rescue effort.  In the aftermath of the WTC 1993 bombing Officer Lennon, of Howell Township, NJ, had the grim task of pulling the dead from the debris.  He received three Excellent Police Duty Citations for his heroic actions.

Police Officer John Levi Port Authority Bus Terminal P.O. Shield #756

On September 11th, John Levi, 50, of Lexington, NY, took a 6 a.m. call for overtime so he could be with his family on the weekend.  The PAPD Bus Terminal Officer, who had 30 years of service with the Port Authority, was in the basement of the WTC, collecting evidence and clearing some debris just before the second plane hit.  He has not been heard from since.  Shortly before his untimely death, he had been lauded for helping to capture a shooting suspect, who was arriving on a bus in New York City from Boston.

Police Officer James Lynch World Trade Center Command P.O. Shield #775
On the morning of September 11th, 22 year veteran of the Port Authority Police Dept., James "Jimmy" Lynch, 47, from Woodbridge, NJ, was out on sick leave but was unwilling to stay home during the disaster at the building where he worked.  He phoned his co-captain a little after 9 a.m. telling him, "I'm going in." then rushed to the site of the terrorist attacks and like so many others, never returned.   Lynch, assigned to the Emergency Response and Hazardous Material Team at the World Trade Center was seen getting air packs out of a store room, then ascending the stairs carrying a load of breathing masks and air tanks. Jimmy had received commendations for meritorous service and excellent police duty, including a group valor citation for heroic actions taken during the 1993 bombing of the WTC.