FDNY Renames Top Honor After LI Chief Who Died On Sept. 11

Sep 10, 2020 802

BY: Alex Costello

The Fire Department of New York announced that it would be renaming its highest honor after Peter J. Ganci, Jr., the chief of the department from Massapequa who died in the Twin Towers on Sept. 11. The award — the James Gordon Bennett Medal — was established in 1869, and is awarded to New York City firefighters for extreme acts of valor. There have been 152 people awarded the medal in its history.

It is officially being changed to the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Medal. The FDNY said it decided to change the medal because its namesake held "deeply racist" views, which he routinely touted in the newspaper he ran. It was originally established by James Gordon Bennett to honor firefighters who saved his home.

Read more

SOURCE: https://patch.com

You may be interested