NEW YORK CITY, NY –
A newly expanded memorial at Rikers Island is putting names and families at the center of the Department of Correction’s 9/11 remembrance. At a September 4 ceremony, three captains were added to the wall honoring DOC members who later died from illnesses linked to their work after the attacks.
Corrections1 identified the honorees as Captains Jacqueline Payden, Raul Gonzalez and Thomas Weadock. Their families received plaques and folded flags, and a wreath was placed during the annual ceremony.
The additions bring the reported number of uniformed and civilian DOC members lost to 9/11-related illness to 45. The number reflects a long aftermath: the rescue and recovery mission continued after the towers fell, and exposure-related disease continued after the debris was cleared.
The wall also records the department’s wider response. DOC personnel helped evacuate civilians, moved generators and supplies, supported emergency communications and worked at recovery sites while city jails remained open. The memorial therefore stands for both individual loss and the institutional duty that kept New York functioning.
Remembering these names is not only ceremonial. It documents who was sent into the response, what that service cost, and why health monitoring and survivor support remain public responsibilities a quarter-century later.
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