BROOKLYN - A ceremony was held in Brooklyn Thursday as 13 firefighters' names were added to the Sept. 11 memorial wall.
All 13 firefighters worked at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attacks and died of illnesses related to digging through the mountains of dust and rubble.
"We are happy to be here and know that they'll never forget the sacrifice that my husband made," says Joanna Reisman, of Roslyn Heights. Her husband, Lt. Steven Reisman, died of brain cancer in June at the age of 54.
Five of the 13 firefighters honored were from Long Island. In addition to Reisman, William Quick of Long Beach, Battalion Chief Richard Arazosa of Miller Place, Supervising Fire Marshal Emil Harnischfeger of Lake Grove and paramedic Rudolph Havelka of Levittown had their names added to the wall.
An estimated 2,500 cases of cancer among Sept. 11 first responders have been reported since 2001.