Family Skiing
Annual Memorial Ski Trip
In Memory of the Vigiano Brothers
John a FDNY Firefighter and Joe a NYPD Detective
Who Gave their Lives on 9-11-2001
Check Flyer for Prices
All the monies earned at this event will be divided equally between the two groups in these boy’s names.
PRE-71 RETIREE’S (LOST BATTALION)
This is a term given to those New York City firefighters who retired before 1971. After 1971, the unions negotiated certain benefits for the firefighters; among those benefits were prescription eye glasses and prescription drugs discounts.
The city refused to grandfather in those members who retired before that year (1971) hence this group of men did not reap the benefit of getting a new pair of glasses every other year nor were they entitled to any prescription drug discounts.
Back in the early 1970’s this did not seem like a major issue, but as time went on, the cost of prescription drugs went crazy; as did the cost of prescription eye glasses.
Couple this with a very small pension, this became a huge hardship for these retirees and the Suffolk County Association of Retired New York City firefighters (SCARF) set up a fund to help defray these costs.
As the years went by, the ranks of the pre-71 retirees dropped. Today we have less than fifty (50) living and most of them are up in age.
NYPD SELF-SUPPORT GROUP
Back in the 70’s a New York City police officer who was assigned to the bomb squad, was severely injured on New Year’s eve when a terrorist bomb was detonated at police headquarters..that officer, though he lost his eye and suffered numerous other wounds refused to give up. He fought to get back on the job…and did. Not only did he return to modified duty, but he started a peer counseling group which helps other officers who have suffered traumatic injuries and shootings.
Today that officer still does the job and through his intervention gave hundreds of young police officers another chance. One of those officers was Joseph Vigiano. Joe was shot on three different occasions and through the self support group, he overcame his anxiety and returned to duty and to an incredible career in the NYPD.
This ski event was set up to honor two young men who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. John Vigiano, a New York City firefighter, and a member of SCARF and his brother, Joe, a NYPD, 2nd grade detective and a peer councilor for the self support group.
A Tribute to my Sons, John and Joe:
They were young men that any parent would be proud to call "son". John was the older of my two boys and as the first-born; he introduced us to the term "parent". His smile will always be his hallmark. As a child, I called him "sunshine" because his smile would light up the room. Joe, the younger, was always trying to "fix" something that was not broken. He enjoyed challenges.
As youngsters, they would compete in everything. They seemed to enjoy the more physical sports of football, lacrosse and hockey over my sport of baseball, but they tried them all
They joined the Boy Scouts and both rose to the rank of Eagle Scout with a gold palm. They held every rank in scouting and excelled in them all. They were confident, strong willed and extremely loyal to their family and friends
As they grew into adulthood, they chose the uniformed services of the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department for their careers. Like their grandfather and me, the Fire Department became John's way of life. Here he made his own footprint. He was considered by his peers as a good teacher as well as a good firefighter. His sense of humor was legendary as were his practical jokes.
Joe chose the Police Department and his career turned out to be legendary. Making Detective at a very early age, receiving numerous commendations and finally doing something never done before in the history of NYPD, making second grade detective while assigned to Emergency Services. Being shot three times and still having the desire to do more, led to this achievement
As a husband and a father they stood above most. Their families always came first. The love they had for their wives, John worshipped his Maria. That love was only seconded to his love of his "girls", Nicolette and Ariana. He was devoted to them.
Joe worshipped Kathy also. He often remarked about having the better of two worlds, a good-looking blond that came with a toolbox. Kathy had been an airplane mechanic in the Navy. They were blessed with three boys, Joseph, James and John. There were no parents in the world that loved their sons more. Every few weeks, Joe would take his boys for the haircuts and just "hang out" as he would say. They were his lifelines
Their mother was always someone special. They were so much alike it was funny. They would often tease one another about it. It was something I would see and smile at how they reacted to each other. It was a beautiful thing to watch the devotion they shared to their Mom
Their relationship with each other was special. They would often travel with me to teach auto extrication classes throughout the mid west. The would constantly rag on each other about the correct way to do something, but in the end, they taught each other something
