As federal and state court officers, we swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. No truer oath could express the actions of the heroes who ran into the burning towers to save others. Among all the federal law enforcement agents, court personnel, and others who ran down the blocks to help were three New York State court officers: Captain William “Harry” Thompson, Senior Court Officer Mitchel S. Wallace, and Senior Court Officer Thomas Jurgens. These court officers were not trained as firefighters or rescue workers, but they took their duty to serve seriously. Without safety gear or helmets, they rushed in to answer cries for help. Sadly, these men gave the ultimate sacrifice that day while saving others.
As Federal Court Clerks around the nation, we quickly reached out to our fellow state court officers and to NYC first responders to honor them. They exemplify the best of this great country: hardworking, honest, caring people who did not ask why, what, or how. They ran towards the flames to help. They ran into the danger zone, not knowing what was to come only moments later.
On December 21, 2001, the FCCA held a ceremony and luncheon in the Southern District of New York in the Federal Court House in Manhattan, to honor and to pay respect to our true heroes; New York State Court Officers, Captain William “Harry” Thompson, and Senior Officers Wallace and Jurgens and New York City Police Officer, NYC Police Sergeant Timothy Alan Roy aged 36. Sergeant Roy was a cousin to FCCA member, Kathleen Brouwer. He worked for the NYPD Surface Transit Enforcement Division. When Sergeant Roy heard about the attacks, he immediately headed to the WTC site. Tragically, he did not make it out of the burning buildings leaving behind his wife, Stacey, and three small children. In April 2017, Sergeant Roy’s daughter, Brittney Roy, joined the NYC Police Department, following in her hero father’s footsteps.
Among those family members in attendance at our luncheon were: Michael Thompson, Captain Thompson’s son, Officer Wallace’s mother, Noreen McDonough, Officer Wallace’s fiancé, Officer Jurgen’s bride of three months, Joan Jurgens and Officer Jurgen’s mother. Also attending was Stacey Roy, Sergeant Roy’s wife and Timothy Jr. as well as his NYPD partner.
Southern District of New York Chief Judge Michael B. Mukasey, U.S.D.J. Charles S. Haight Jr, NY State Court Judge Ann Pfau and NYS Court of Appeals Chief Judge Judith Kaye, as well as NYS Court Officer Jim Mahoney and the New York State Court Officers Association participated and were instrumental in encouraging our efforts and organizing this event with the family members. When you have a moment, please take a look at the video of the ceremony. Remember, the technology in 2001 was not what it is in 2021. This was recorded on a small video camera and saved to a VHS tape that we just had digitized. When you have a moment, please look at the photos from the ceremony to be introduced to those who the FCCA has honored.
Among the many wonderful things FCCA members did to show their support for New York was to go to their local firehouses to pick up their own firehouse T-shirts and to mail them to me. I brought over one hundred local firehouse T-shirts to the firehouse across the park from the EDNY courthouse, Engine 205 Ladder 118, to show the guys the support of firefighters and families and FCCA love from all over the country. Heartbreakingly, this company lost eight firemen that day but through it all, they genuinely appreciated the encouragement and responses from our members. I sent 205/118 T-shirts to each FCCA member who participated, and they brought them back to their local firehouses… Our FCCA/FDNY T shirt exchange!
That project went on for close to a year. The federal court clerks around the country continued to send in monetary donations. Engine 205/Ladder 118 is the local firehouse across the park from the Eastern District of New York. They respond to our emergencies and to anything that the EDNY ever needs. This was our way of connecting with them and to give back just some of the love and support that 205/118 shows to those who daily visit the EDNY be it visitors, litigants, employees, marshals, jurors, the bar, and those who come to the courthouse to be naturalized at ceremonies, four days a week. That is the FCCA community connection with the NYFD.
One of the most amazing groups born as a result of the attacks is an association named “Friends of Firefighters.” Conceived in the kitchen of Engine 205/Ladder 118 during those first tragic days, they have been providing independent, confidential, and free counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and family members since 2001. During the past 20 years, FCCA members have teamed up with “Friends of Firefighters” for several of their fund-raising projects. http://www.friendsoffirefighters.org/
They have designed a 20th Anniversary 9/11 shirt and have also collaborated with the Dublin, Ireland Fire Brigade to design a FDNY September 11 ornament.
As you know, these September 11, 2001 attacks were not only aimed at New York City but were a series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks targeting the United States, and were the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in U.S. history. These assaults against New York and Washington, D.C., caused extensive death and destruction. Over 2,750 people were killed in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania. Passengers on United Airlines flight 93 realized what was happening and attempted to retake the plane from the hijackers to thwart the attack on Washington DC. They crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Lower Manhattan in New York City, where the twin towers stood, was especially hard-hit as hundreds of first responders, off duty officers, firemen, civilians, court officers, federal agents and others ran from all over and rushed to the scene of the attacks. The effects of these attacks are still ongoing to those who helped during and after September 11 as many residents and responders are still becoming sick due to exposure of toxic fumes and waste.
The perpetrators of these terrible attacks did not know the strength of our first responders. They did not know of the bridges and the bonds that their cowardly act would cause to be built across the country as we joined to honor the victims and the heroism of the first responders. We want the families who still mourn the loss of their loved ones to know that we will never forget. Let us continue to honor the lives that were taken through our own service to this country and by upholding the values that make us one nation, with liberty and justice for all.
The Federal Court Clerks Association remembers September 11, 2001. We want to memorialize this historic and unprecedented event with our personal stories and responses. We want to share our faith and spirit as we pass on our dedication and commitments and our goals to future generations. We continue to strive to be inspirations to those who will follow in our federal court clerk footsteps. For those of you who filled out our 9/11 questionnaire, we thank you. It will never be too late to participate in this ongoing historical project. Please feel free to go to
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/911FCCA at any time and answer as many questions as you may care to. Let your voice and memories be preserved.
We will maintain all these items on the FCCA website for future generations to view. We want to share our collective experiences, to learn and to communicate with our future members. We want others to know about FCCA responses and how we as individuals and as an association came together and how we continue to grow and evolve and to reach out our hearts and hands to others.
Thank you
Explanation of Firehouse photos:
Todd Dennys Hays is a former American bobsledder who competed from 1994 to 2006. Competing in two Winter Olympics,
[1] he won the silver medal in the four-man event at Salt Lake City in 2002, breaking a 46-year medal drought for the US national bobsleigh team.
[2]
He also won two medals in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships with a silver in 2003 and a bronze in 2004. He finished third four times in the Bobsleigh World Cup, earning them twice in combined men's (2003-4, 2005-6) and once each in the two-man (2005–06) and four-man events (2003–04).
Todd brought his 2002 Olympic Silver medal to the firehouse to share his and Team USA ‘s Olympic spirit with everyone. It worked.
Additional Information:
Click here for link to the video of the FCCA ceremony held in the SDNY Courthouse, December 2001.
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, The HISTORY® Channel will premiere three documentary specials, starting on September 10. Watch a preview for all three specials now at:
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks
The Heart of Steel- a documentary by Angelo J. Gugliemo, Jr., an official selection of the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. This documentary was produced with the September 11th Families Association and is an “uplifting, inspirational documentary about everyday people taking on an extraordinary task to volunteer in the aftermath…”