A rookie port policeman was given his fallen father’s shield number at a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Finish what you started.

That simple mantra echoed in Anthony Cortazzo’s mind on Tuesday when a new Port Police officer received his shield during a solemn swearing-in ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Cortazzo’s father, K-9 Port Authority officer John Cortazzo, died at the age of 49 in 2009 from an illness related to the 9/11 attacks. It happened on September 11, 2001, when hijacked planes crashed into the twin towers during a terrorist strike on the city.

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The elder Cortazzo always said “finish what you started”, and this did not leave his son in the most difficult times.

“From a young age, I saw the sacrifices that first responders make, but I also saw the impact they can have on others, and that definitely instilled in me the quality that I wanted to make it in my life.” Anthony Cortazzo said after taking the oath.

He was about 5 years old when almost three thousand people died as a result of the attacks. By the time he was 12, his father had lost a four-year battle with cancer.

The younger Cortazzo was one of 129 recruits who stood shoulder to shoulder, taking the oath and receiving shields.

“Throughout the physical and academic preparation, we really came together as a class,” he said. “I really feel like I’ve gained 128 more siblings.”

Cortazzo’s shield number, 1648, matches the one his father wore when he answered the towers in September 2001. The police put his shield number on hold in the hope that his son would someday join the PAPD.

“I think it’s just important that people remember what happened here in 2001, they remember all the people who were killed that day, but they remember the people who got sick that day and died from that day,” he said. he.

The Cortazzo class was the second to have their shields presented in the museum’s Stock Hall, which is located next to the North Tower.

The PAPD held a Grade 120 ceremony at the World Trade Center for 129 recruits.

“The reason we did this was to remind recruits of the symbolism of not only 9/11, but also the 37 Port Authority officers who died that day, and the officers who continue to die as a result of 9/11 disease.” PAPD said. Superintendent Edward Setnar.

He said this graduating class is one of the most diverse in PAPD history.

There is “a sense of great pride that after 6 months of training we have finally made it to today,” Setnar said. “It’s a sense of personal pride and achievement.”

After the swearing-in ceremony, pipers played during a wreath-laying ceremony at the South Pool in honor of the first rescuers who died on 9/11.

A wreath was placed next to the pool with 37 carnations representing the number of PAPD members killed.

“I am honored to graduate with a 120th grade, especially as the World Trade Center hosted a weapons and shield ceremony,” Cortazzo said. “It makes a lot of sense to come down here…where so many officers and rescuers died, people, and also where my father responded.”

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