STATEMENT OF RECORD
This Statement of Record documents the professional and personal journey of Vincent J. Bove on September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. What began with a journey from New Jersey into Manhattan became a sacred day of prayer, remembrance, encounter, and gratitude, unfolding through personal encounters with firefighters, families of September 11 victims, police officers, detectives, members of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit, and members of the community.
The journey began at St. Francis of Assisi Church, where prayer and remembrance brought together the memory of the fallen, their families, and the firefighters who continue to carry the responsibility of protecting others. From there, it continued on foot through Midtown, where encounters with firefighters brought remembrance into direct human contact. At Engine 54 / Ladder 4 / Battalion 9, the journey also provided an opportunity to bring the newly published Law Officer article, “Twenty-Five Years Later: The Greatest Tribute to 9/11 Is How We Care for Today’s Protectors,” directly to firefighters whose service it honored.
The journey then continued to the Bronx and the NYPD 50th Precinct, where formal and informal encounters included a leadership engagement at roll call, conversations with the Detective Squad and rank-and-file officers, and an extended listening encounter with members of the Emergency Service Unit. That encounter gave rise to the phrase “Protectors of the Protectors.” The day also brought an unexpected expression of community gratitude through representatives of the Riverdale Jewish Center, who honored the officers and pledged their prayers for those who protect them.
The journey eventually turned homeward, but the physical journey was inseparable from a continuing spiritual one: remembering those who were lost, honoring those who lost loved ones, listening to those who continue to serve, and carrying each encounter into prayer. The day’s experience extended that prayer beyond New York to protectors throughout the nation.
September 11 was therefore not simply remembered as an event of the past. It was encountered through people—through prayer, service, sacrifice, gratitude, and human connection. Twenty-five years later, the journey into the heart of September 11 revealed an enduring responsibility:
Protecting Those Who Protect Us.
- THE JOURNEY BEGINS: WHERE REMEMBRANCE BECOMES PRAYER
St. Francis of Assisi Church — Manhattan | September 11, 2026
The journey into the heart of September 11 began in prayer. Traveling from New Jersey into Manhattan, I made my way to St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street—a place with a profound connection to September 11 and to the FDNY.
For decades, St. Francis of Assisi has been a spiritual home for me whenever I enter Manhattan—a place where I begin my day, find spiritual strength, and renew the energy I carry into my work and encounters throughout the city.
On the 25th anniversary, St. Francis hosted “Saint Francis Church Remembers September 11, 2001,” a Mass for the local FDNY Battalion. The church was filled beyond capacity, with well over 100 firefighters and guests gathered in prayer. The sight of firefighters filling the church and later emerging into the streets became one of the defining images of the day.
Photo Credit: Vincent J. Bove for Reawakening America LLC
The significance of St. Francis was inseparable from the memory of Father Mychal Judge, OFM, the Franciscan friar and FDNY chaplain who lived at the church and went to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The homily brought his life, ministry, courage, and sacrifice into the day’s remembrance.
For me, the Mass was more than an anniversary commemoration. It was a sacred beginning—a time to pray for those who were lost, for the families who continue to carry their absence, and for the firefighters, police officers, and other protectors who continue to place themselves in harm’s way.
As the Mass ended and the firefighters poured into the street, the journey continued.
The remembrance had become an encounter.
- THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: FROM REMEMBRANCE TO ENCOUNTER
FDNY Engine 1 / Ladder 24 — “Midtown Express” | Manhattan
Leaving St. Francis of Assisi Church, I continued on foot to FDNY Engine 1 / Ladder 24, the first firehouse encountered following the Mass.
This was not a first introduction, but a continuing relationship. Earlier engagements on June 19 and August 28, 2026, had established a personal connection with the firefighters of the “Midtown Express.” Returning on September 11, immediately following the Mass, gave the encounter a deeper significance. The morning’s prayer and remembrance now moved into direct fellowship with those who continue to serve.
I spent time with the firefighters, expressed my appreciation for their service and sacrifice, and continued the spirit of remembrance that had begun at St. Francis. During the earlier engagements, I had also presented Liberation Monument tribute cards to members of the firehouse.
The encounter affirmed a simple truth: remembrance is not confined to ceremony. It becomes meaningful when it reaches the people who continue to serve.
The journey continued.
III. THE JOURNEY DEEPENS: WHERE MEMORY MEETS THE LIVING
FDNY Engine 54 / Ladder 4 / Battalion 9 — “The Pride of Midtown” | Manhattan
From Engine 1 / Ladder 24, I continued north to Engine 54 / Ladder 4 / Battalion 9, the “Pride of Midtown,” at West 48th Street and Eighth Avenue.
This was another continuing relationship, following an earlier engagement on June 19, 2026. But September 11 brought a distinctly different dimension. The firehouse was hosting a special gathering that brought together firefighters, families, and families of those lost on September 11—including families of FDNY members and others whose loved ones never came home.
I had also come with a particular purpose: to bring the newly published Law Officer article, “Twenty-Five Years Later: The Greatest Tribute to 9/11 Is How We Care for Today’s Protectors,” directly to the firefighters whose service it honored. Published the previous day as a Top Featured Article for the 25th anniversary, the article had become part of the journey itself.
Photo Credit: Reawakening America LLC Collection
I spent time with the firefighters, expressed my appreciation for their service and sacrifice, and presented Liberation Monument cards as a personal expression of remembrance and gratitude.
During the encounter, I met Firefighter Dillon J. Herkert of Engine 54. He was genuinely enthusiastic about meeting me and learning about the article. We exchanged contact information, and Dillon told me that the firefighters pictured in the article were his best friends. Although they were not on duty that day, he assured me that they would receive copies.
That moment brought the published story full circle.
The firefighters connected to the article were no longer simply names or faces in a photograph. Through Dillon, the story had returned to the people whose service it honored.
What had begun that morning in prayer at St. Francis had now become a deeply personal encounter with the living legacy of September 11.
The journey continued.
- THE JOURNEY NORTH: FROM MANHATTAN BACK TO THE BRONX
A Journey Through Memory, Place, and Purpose
From the “Pride of Midtown,” I continued north through Manhattan toward the Bronx and the NYPD 50th Precinct.
The movement was more than a change of location. It brought the day’s journey into a part of New York deeply connected to my own history. After traveling uptown by subway to 238th Street, I continued on foot toward the precinct.
I had grown up in the Bronx, and the communities surrounding the 50th Precinct—including Van Cortlandt Park and Spuyten Duyvil—were familiar to me from childhood. Returning to this part of the borough on the 25th anniversary of September 11 brought past and present into an unexpected convergence: places remembered from youth now became the setting for an opportunity to stand with the men and women who continue to protect the city.
The transition carried a particular significance. The morning had been spent remembering those who gave their lives twenty-five years earlier. The journey was now bringing me into the presence of today’s protectors, preparing to serve their communities.
The journey continued—not away from September 11, but deeper into its living meaning.
- THE JOURNEY REACHES THE 50TH PRECINCT: STANDING WITH TODAY’S PROTECTORS
NYPD 50th Precinct — Bronx | September 11, 2026
At the 50th Precinct, the day’s remembrance took on a new dimension through direct engagement with the men and women of the NYPD.
The visit was coordinated by Sgt. Richard Barcia, who introduced me to Captain Amadeo Oktrova and helped facilitate the day’s encounters. Captain Oktrova graciously welcomed me, introduced me to members of the command, attended the leadership engagement, and extended an invitation to return.
The engagement unfolded across the precinct rather than from a single platform. I encountered members of command and supervision, veteran officers, younger members beginning their NYPD careers, detectives, and specialized personnel. These encounters provided opportunities for conversation, reflection, affirmation, and recognition of the privilege and responsibility inherent in police service.
The formal roll call would become the principal leadership engagement of the visit. Yet the experience at the 50th Precinct would extend well beyond the roll call, revealing the deeper value of presence, listening, and human connection.
The journey continued—from formal leadership engagement into the human encounters that followed.
- THE SACREDNESS OF THE BADGE: THE 50TH PRECINCT ROLL CALL
September 11, 2026 — Leadership Engagement with the NYPD
The journey into the heart of September 11 continued with a formal roll call at the NYPD 50th Precinct. Veteran officers, supervisors, and younger officers beginning their NYPD careers gathered together, creating an opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of service twenty-five years after the attacks.
Before beginning, I moved the podium aside and brought the American flag forward. Holding the flag as I spoke, I began with a moment of solemn reverence for those who were lost on September 11, 2001; for the families who continue to carry their loss; and for the firefighters, police officers, and other protectors who answered the call that day.
I then brought that remembrance directly to the officers before me.
The badge represents far more than authority. To wear it is to accept the profound privilege and extraordinary responsibility of protecting others. It requires character—the character that makes our badges shine—and the courage to carry that responsibility through the most difficult moments of a police career.
The engagement centered on what I describe as the Four Great Needs of the Protector:
Ethical Leadership.
Morale.
Emotional Fortitude.
Suicide Prevention.
These needs are inseparable from the human reality of police service. I also addressed the Wounded Protector™—the reality that those who protect others can themselves carry wounds, burdens, and experiences that require recognition, compassion, and support.
I emphasized the importance of affirmation, respect, courtesy, and affirmative thinking, speaking, and communicating. Every interaction with another person presents an opportunity to strengthen rather than diminish. The privilege of being a protector is sustained not only by what an officer does in moments of crisis, but by who that officer chooses to be every day.
The message ultimately returned to a simple question:
Why did you become a police officer?
Twenty-five years after September 11, remembering the courage of those who answered the call required more than looking backward. It required recognizing the men and women standing before me who continue to answer that call.
The officers’ attentiveness and the spirit of the encounter reinforced the central message of the day:
The greatest tribute to those we lost is how we care for those who continue to protect us.
The journey continued.
VII. PROTECTORS OF THE PROTECTORS: THE JOURNEY INTO LISTENING
NYPD Emergency Service Unit — 50th Precinct | September 11, 2026
The journey continued beyond the formal roll call and into one of the day’s most meaningful encounters: time spent with members of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit (ESU).
The ESU setting provided a unique opportunity to facilitate listening. The setting allowed me to ask open-ended questions and give the members the space to speak about why they valued their work. Their response was inspirational.
I asked each member a simple question:
“Why do you appreciate working for Emergency Service Unit?”
Five ESU members shared their reflections on the privilege of serving in one of the NYPD’s most demanding specialized units. Their responses spoke to the distinctive responsibility of protecting the public during extraordinary and dangerous incidents, while also being prepared to protect their fellow officers when those officers themselves need assistance.
What followed was not simply an exchange about the responsibilities of a specialized assignment. It became an opportunity to hear, in the members’ own words, what their service meant to them.
Their reflections revealed something profound:
Those who protect the public are also called upon to protect one another.
That realization inspired the phrase:
“PROTECTORS OF THE PROTECTORS.”
The phrase captured the distinctive role of ESU—not simply responding to extraordinary threats and emergencies, but standing ready when fellow officers themselves require protection, rescue, or assistance.
The encounter was personal and reciprocal. Each member received my personal cell number and a Liberation Monument card. More importantly, the conversation created a space in which professional roles could briefly give way to human conversation, reflection, and mutual respect.
The distinction from the formal roll call was significant.
The roll call had provided an opportunity to speak to officers.
The ESU setting provided an opportunity to listen to protectors speak about why they serve.
And in that listening, the journey reached one of its deepest points.
The journey continued.
VIII. BEYOND THE BADGE: THE DETECTIVE SQUAD AND THE HUMAN ENCOUNTER
NYPD 50th Precinct — Detective Squad | September 11, 2026
The journey continued beyond the roll call and the specialized-unit encounter through an informal engagement with members of the 50th Precinct Detective Squad.
This was an opportunity for conversation—to stand with detectives in their working environment, listen to their perspectives, and acknowledge the responsibilities and demands that accompany their work.
Our conversations reflected the broader themes of the day: service, responsibility, community protection, ethical leadership, morale, emotional fortitude, character, and the human dimension of police work.
The encounter reinforced a conviction that has shaped my work throughout the NYPD: leadership does not always require a podium. Sometimes its most meaningful expression is simply being present, listening, and giving another person the recognition and affirmation they deserve.
The journey through the 50th Precinct was therefore becoming more than a series of engagements. It was becoming a succession of human encounters—each one offering another perspective on the privilege and responsibility of protecting others.
From the formal roll call, to the detectives, to the extraordinary listening encounter with ESU, the day continued to move from speaking about protectors to standing among them.
The journey continued.
- WHEN THE COMMUNITY PRAYS FOR ITS PROTECTORS
Riverdale Jewish Center — NYPD 50th Precinct | September 11, 2026
Amid the day’s many encounters at the 50th Precinct, one carried a particularly meaningful expression of community gratitude.
Representatives of the Riverdale Jewish Center were present at the precinct to recognize and thank the officers who serve and protect their community. They generously provided fruits, nutrition bars, and beverages for the officers and spoke about the significance of Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish New Year 5787, being observed that day.
They also made a promise that reached beyond words: they would pray for the officers.
In an especially memorable moment, they sounded a shofar, the traditional ram’s horn, allowing the officers to experience and learn about an element of their prayer and observance.
I personally thanked the representatives for their generosity and for remembering the officers in prayer. In return, I presented them with Liberation Monument cards—a simple but meaningful exchange between people who had come together that day in different ways to honor service, remembrance, and the protection of human life.
Their message of gratitude was captured on the card they presented to the officers:
“To all those who ‘serve & protect’ and put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe on a daily basis. In gratitude and in honor of the Jewish New year 5787.”
The card was signed by Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, Senior Rabbi, and Rabbi Dr. Moshe Drelich, President, of the Riverdale Jewish Center.
The encounter offered another dimension to the journey. At St. Francis, the day had begun in prayer for the fallen and for those who continue to protect us. At the 50th Precinct, members of the community were now praying for the protectors themselves.
The circle had come around.
Remembering.
Serving.
Protecting.
Praying.
Giving thanks.
The journey continued.
- THE JOURNEY HOME: CARRYING THE DAY IN PRAYER
The journey eventually turned homeward—from the Bronx back through Manhattan and onto New Jersey Transit. Yet the day’s deepest journey was no longer measured by distance traveled.
It was measured by the people encountered: the firefighters who gathered in prayer, the families who continue to carry the loss of September 11, the police officers who continue to protect their communities, the detectives and ESU members who shared their reflections, and the members of the Riverdale Jewish Center who reminded those officers that their community was praying for them.
As I made my way home, I reflected upon each encounter and prayed for those I had met throughout the day—for the firefighters, police officers, families, community members, and for all those whose lives remain touched by September 11, 2001.
I prayed as well for the protectors of New York and for the men and women throughout our nation who continue to place themselves in harm’s way on behalf of others.
Twenty-five years after September 11, the day remained more than a date in history. Its meaning continued through the people who remember, the families who endure, and the protectors who continue to serve.
The journey began with prayer.
It continued through remembrance, encounter, service, listening, gratitude, and human connection.
And it ended where every meaningful journey should end—with gratitude for those encountered, reverence for those lost, and a renewed commitment to those who remain.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES.
Protecting Those Who Protect Us.
SELECTED VINCENT J. BOVE ARTICLES — LAW OFFICER
The following selected Law Officer articles provide additional context for the themes reflected in this Statement of Record: remembrance, ethical leadership, respect, emotional fortitude, and the continuing responsibility to protect those who protect us.
“Twenty-Five Years Later: The Greatest Tribute to 9/11 Is How We Care for Today’s Protectors”
Vincent J. Bove’s Law Officer article, published September 10, 2026, examines the continuing responsibility to remember the fallen, honor their families, and care for the protectors who carry that responsibility forward. Its central message — “Protecting Those Who Protect Us”—became an integral part of the September 11, 2026 journey documented in this Statement of Record.
https://www.lawofficer.com/the-greatest-tribute-to-9-11/
“Respect Is the Badge: The Heart of the 21st-Century Ethical Officer”
Vincent J. Bove’s Law Officer article, published May 12, 2026, examines respect as a defining standard of ethical policing and connects character, leadership, public trust, and the manner in which authority is carried in every human encounter.
https://www.lawofficer.com/respect-is-the-badge/
“The Quiet Police Crisis: Emotional Fortitude and the Strength to Protect the Protector”
Vincent J. Bove’s Law Officer article, published March 25, 2026, examines emotional fortitude as a dimension of protecting the person behind the badge, emphasizing affirmation, ethical leadership, morale, human development, and the formation of strength before crisis occurs.
https://www.lawofficer.com/quiet-police-crisis/
FULL VINCENT J. BOVE LAW OFFICER CHRONOLOGY
The complete Law Officer author chronology provides the broader publication record of Vincent J. Bove, currently spanning over 70 published articles addressing ethical leadership, policing, officer wellness, emotional fortitude, public trust, violence prevention, and his continuing engagements with the NYPD.
Full Vincent J. Bove Law Officer chronology:
https://www.lawofficer.com/author/vbove/
