GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The Green Bay Packers honored the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks before their Thursday night game against the Washington Commanders, as former New York City first responders who witnessed the tragedy firsthand traveled to Lambeau Field on the 24th anniversary.
See the Packers tribute and meet a former NYPD Sergeant and FDNY Deputy Chief in the video below:
The Packers held a special on-field tribute before kickoff, introducing a surviving firefighter, the daughter of a fallen firefighter, and a pilot and flight attendant "to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who responded to the attacks and to remember all who lost their lives" on 9/11, according to the team's website.
Among those in attendance at the game were former first responders who made the journey from New York City to Wisconsin, carrying with them the weight of memories from that fateful day.
At a tailgate before kickoff, Dennis Linehan, a former New York Police Department sergeant who was on duty Sept. 11, 2001, recounted the haunting moments when he first witnessed the attacks.
"I came up from the subway, and I saw the hole in the North Tower and as you got closer you just saw people jumping out of the [hole]," Linehan said.
Linehan traveled to Green Bay with some fellow first responders who also lost friends and coworkers in the attacks, including Mike Rappe, a former deputy chief of the New York City Fire Department.
Rappe said Sept. 11 remains difficult to discuss even after more than two decades.
"I'm very thankful to be here. I'm a lucky one, so ... There's a lot of people who are here today because of the actions of police and firefighters," Rappe said.
Both men said that even decades later, they will never forget the friends and coworkers they lost in the attacks.
"The sadness never leaves you … You look back at it and you have to live your life, you know? This is what these guys would want you to do," Linehan said.
Linehan has visited Green Bay for years, while this marked Rappe's first time in Packers country. Both men said they are grateful to be able to commemorate the anniversary together after surviving the tragedy 24 years ago.
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