Just days before the 16th anniversary of the attacks, the names of 32 FDNY members who died this year of 9/11-related illnesses were added to the department's Memorial Wall.
Relatives of each fallen member honored their loved ones Thursday by laying a white rose on the memorial during an emotional procession through the Hall of Heroes in Downtown Brooklyn.
Two of those being honored were from the same family: A father and son.
"It's been kind of hell, it's taken six months for me to figure out my dad's gone, the permanence of that, and right as that happened, my brother lost his ability to walk," said Ray Alexander Jr.
"You can't lift the sadness, the weight of sadness from myself and the members of this department," Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. "It's something we carry with us 365 days a year."
There was nearly twice the number of names to add to the wall this year compared to last.
Officials worry that trend will continue, with more than a thousand members of the FDNY, both active and retired, who are still suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.