PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Everyone has a story of where they were and what they were thinking on Sept. 11, 2001. For a Pembroke Pines Police officer, the tragedy hit especially close to home and helped define the direction his life would take.
Lawrence Virgilio was just 7 at the time and did not understand what had happened — at first.
“I got off the school bus and my mom was crying,” he said.
Virgilio’s family was told New York Fire Squad 18 was dispatched to the World Trade Center, including his uncle, also named Lawrence Virgilio, who was then 38 years old.
“He made it to the 78th floor from the ground on foot, in full kit,” said Virgilio.
Virgilio’s uncle made it to just below where the plane had slammed into the North Tower.
“That shows you what kind of conviction someone has, when you run up 78 flights of stairs to arguably one of the most catastrophic situations, terrorist attacks that’s ever happened on U.S. soil,” said Virgilio. “But a lot of people don’t consider that fact that it’s also one of the greatest rescues in American history.”
While thousands would survive, many would never be seen again, lost in the flames and the dust, concrete and metal of the collapsed buildings.
Luckily, Virgilio said, his uncle was found.
“He was wrapped arm in arm with Eric Allen, who was on Squad 18 with him. After they got to the 78th floor, I guess they said, ‘Hey, the South Tower just came down, we’ve got to get everyone out now,'” said Virgilio. “They knew, in the face of certain death, there was no getting out of there, so they just locked arms and died a hero’s death.”
In the years that followed, a playground in Queens was renamed for Lawrence Virgilio, articles were written, honors were bestowed, and a legacy of public service was born.
Several family members joined the military, and the hero firefighter’s namesake came down to Pembroke Pines to become a police officer.
“You don’t really meet that many Larrys anymore, you know, so I’m trying to live up to the name and thinking about how hard these guys fought to get up to the 78th floor to save lives; it’s also what helped me graduate five years ago from SWAT school,” said Virgilio. “You know, getting physically, emotionally exhausted and still having the wherewithal to put myself in front of somebody else to hopefully save their life. The whole thing is about selflessness, when you have that many people who are in the face of certain death that are willing put their lives to the side to potentially save one or two or 100 others, and he did exactly that with an unwavering stance.”
Virgilio said he feels lucky that crews were able to find his uncle’s body. He likes talking about his uncle because it keeps his memory alive, even 25 years later.
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