Scott Munro, President, Detectives’ Endowment Association (Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire)
New York City Detectives’ Endowment Association President Scott Munro said he drives past ground zero “every day,” adding that 9/11 “will never go away.”
Munro, who responded to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, reflected on the tragedy Friday during Newsmax’s 25th-anniversary coverage.
“It was the worst day ever,” Munro said. “We responded there. We were there from the beginning to the end.”
Munro said he and other first responders spent more than a week at the site, working on the pile and trying to recover victims, including fellow law enforcement officers.
The attacks killed 23 NYPD officers, including Detectives Joseph Vigiano and Claude Richards, according to the NYPD.
Richards, who was assigned to the Bomb Squad, was off duty and on vacation but responded after the attacks, Munro said.
Munro said the Detectives’ Endowment Association laid a wreath this week honoring Vigiano, Richards, and others who died.
The union also recently unveiled a traveling memorial honoring the two detectives and 79 NYPD detectives who later died from 9/11-related illnesses.
Munro said he and 24 members of the union’s board planned to walk to ground zero Friday and support victims’ families at the anniversary commemoration.
“We’re educating our new members on what 9/11 was about,” Munro said. “We’re never going to forget. And we’re always going to remember the sacrifices that law enforcement did that day.”
Munro said his daily commute to the union’s office takes him past ground zero.
“It will never go away,” Munro said. “We lost a lot. Everybody lost somebody there.”
The toll on first responders has continued long after the attacks.
The NYPD says many officers who participated in rescue and recovery operations have since died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic conditions at ground zero.
The Detectives’ Endowment Association, which Munro leads, continues to emphasize health protections for its members and is reminding eligible officers of a Sept. 11 deadline involving World Trade Center-related benefits.
Munro said preserving the memory of the attacks is particularly important as younger officers who have no firsthand memory of that day join the force.
“I will never forget,” he said. “I will never forget that day.”
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.