53 Miles of Honor for a Fallen FDNY Father

For FDNY Lt. Brian Cross, remembering Sept. 11 means putting one foot in front of the other — for 53 miles.

Cross founded the Walk of Honor three years ago, trekking from his Islip Terrace home to the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan while carrying the American flag. This year, sidelined by recent surgery, Cross will watch as family, friends and fellow firefighters carry on the tradition.

“It’s a great honor that they’re doing that — family and friends and coworkers — to keep it going,” Cross said.

The walk is deeply personal. Cross’ father, FDNY Battalion Chief Dennis Cross, was killed when the first World Trade Center tower collapsed. A 36-year FDNY veteran, he was 60 and serving as an acting deputy chief with Division 11 that morning.

Brian Cross, a third-generation firefighter with 27 years on the job, serves as a lieutenant with Ladder 133 in South Jamaica, Queens. His grandfather, Charles Cross, served with Ladder 131.

The walk begins at 9 p.m. Sept. 10, with participants traveling through Nassau and Queens before entering Brooklyn and crossing the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. Along the way, they will stop at Dennis Cross’ former Brooklyn firehouse.

At each pivotal moment from the Sept. 11 attacks — the plane strikes, tower collapses, Pentagon attack and crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania — walkers pause for a moment of silence.

“It’s not if you can complete it or not,” Cross said. “It’s just a thing to honor everybody on 9/11. We’re walking with the American flag.”

The first walk took 17½ hours; last year’s took about 19.

The Walk of Honor also raises money for the Fight for Firefighters Foundation, which builds accessibility ramps for those in need, and the New York City Burn Centers Foundation.

For Cross, the journey is about ensuring the sacrifice of his father — and thousands of others — is never forgotten.