Police Officer Vincent G. Danz

In a last-minute cell phone call to his wife, Angela, on Sept. 11, Danz left the following message: “Hon, it’s 9:50 and I’m at the World Trade Center. I’m up in the building. Say a prayer that we get some of these people out. I’m OK but say a prayer for me. I love you.” Vincent Danz was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor during the Annual Medal Day ceremony on December 4, 2001. The New York City Police Department Medal of Honor is the highest award that may be bestowed upon a member of the service. Danz, 38, the father of three young girls – Winifred, Emily and Abigail – was one of 14 officers from the elite Emergency Service Unit who perished while helping others escape from the Trade Center towers.