NEW YORK — As the country prepares to mark the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 on Wednesday, CBS News New York spoke with members of the NYPD and FDNY who joined the departments after losing a first responder parent that day.
They said their stories of service have been inspired by the fathers they lost.
Career paths were altered on Sept. 11, 2001
Joseph Vigiano Jr. was just 8 years old on 9/11 and her was seen clutching a photo of his father, NYPD Det. Joseph Vigiano.
“At a young age, I wanted to be a paleontologist. I had a love for Jurassic Park, dinosaurs,” Vigiano Jr. said.
After his father was killed in the terror attack, his path changed.
Thomas Gambino III was 20 years old on that day.
“My original plan, as funny as it might sound, was to be in a band,” he said.