AN ENDURING LEGACY The Coast Guard lost three members, all reservists, in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: two petty officers, Jeffery Palazzo and Vincent Danz, and retired reservist Lt. Cmdr. Gilbert Granados. Since that tragic day, the Coast Guard continues to ensure that the legacy and sacrifice of these three individuals will never be forgotten. Palazzo and Danz share a classroom at Training Center Cape May, N.J., named Jeffrey Palazzo Vincent Danz their shipmates for inspirational leadership. The multipurpose building at Station New York is also named after Palazzo. Each of the petty officers will have a fast response cutter named in his honor. Granados, who retired after 20 years of service, had the station building at Station Kings Point, N.Y., named after him. The station is located on the grounds of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Granados's alma mater. Gilbert Granados in their honor. TRACEN also honors the petty officers with awards in their names: Palazzo's graduation award goes to the student who graduates with the highest academic average, and Danz's award goes to the student who is recognized by Palazzo continued to work alongside his colleagues at Station Rockaway for his weekend duty shifts. When his commanding officer, Schneider, was transferred to Station Chatham in Massachusetts, Jeff followed him. Schneider allowed the firefighter to store up his drills and work in Chatham for a week or more at a time. “Jeff qualified on the new 47-foot motor lifeboat in Provincetown,” Schneider remembered. “When he came up, he would get a lot done.” Like so many of the tragic stories on 9/11, Lisa described that morning as ordinary, like any other. “I was at work, so I wasn’t home when he left for his shift. He left me a voicemail, nothing special, you know, ‘Headed to work, I love you.’” That shift would be Palazzo’s last. He and 10 other members of the Rescue 5 squad perished while working to save their fellow New Yorkers. In all, 343 members of FDNY were lost in the disaster. Though Palazzo is missed, his name lives on. In 2016, the Coast Guard in Staten Island held a ceremony for the dedication of the “Jeff Palazzo Hall Memorial,” a new building at Station New York, and many of Palazzo’s first responder colleagues attended. In 2019, the Coast Guard announced that two of its new Sentinel-Class fast response cutters will be named in honor of Palazzo and fellow Coast Guard reservist, Petty Officer 2nd Class Vincent Danz, an officer with the New York Police Department who also lost his life on 9/11. Issue 3 • 2021 � RESERVIST 19
