Gratitude for 9/11 heroes: Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards honors three-generation family of first responders
The Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards are back again – this time on the anniversary of 9/11.
The annual awards dinner honors a person or group that exemplifies the mission of The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project, which aims to care for, support and encourage those who have served the U.S.
The 2024 event, which will take place at Nashville’s City Winery, will recognize several Patriot Award recipients, including broadcaster Storme Warren, former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerick, and Tom Higgins, head of general services at Fiserv Incorporated in Milwaukee.
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In addition, a three-generation family of first responders – the Vigiano family of Long Island, New York – will be recognized, including some who perished while responding on 9/11.
David Corlew, Daniels’ longtime manager and president of the Journey Home Project, called patriarch John Vigiano "one heroic son of a gun" in an interview with Fox News Digital.
John Vigiano served as an FDNY firefighter and had two sons – John Jr. and Joseph Vigiano. One was a firefighter and the other a police officer.
Both sons responded to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and did not survive.
Before 9/11, Detective Joseph Vigiano had three sons — Joseph, James and John — who all went on to serve either with the NYPD or the military.
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"[Joe Vigiano] was a natural-born hero," Corlew said. "He was destined by God, or the power that he believed in, to be a hero, and was one of the first into the towers."
He added, "It’s an amazing story of how patriotism is generational."
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Joe Vigiano’s wife, Kathleen Vigiano, a retired police officer and volunteer EMT, and two of her sons, Joseph Jr. and James, reacted to their family being honored by the Charlie Daniels team.
"I feel, personally, that I haven’t done anything that no one else has done before," said NYPD police officer Joseph Vigiano Jr.
"I work for a lot of good individuals and a lot of great guys who are just as deserving as anyone else to be rewarded for their effort."
"But it is nice to know that people don't forget, and that they remember that sacrifice on 9/11, and the sacrifice that my father, uncle and grandfather made, going out every day searching for the victims ... It really is a humbling experience."
At the time of the attacks, Joseph Jr.’s father was assigned to Harlem’s Emergency Service Squad Two, and his uncle was assigned to Brooklyn’s Ladder 132.
"They both responded to the World Trade Center and tragically lost their lives when the tower collapsed," said Joseph Vigiano Jr.
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His grandfather, FDNY captain John Vigiano, retired after many years of service.
After losing both of his sons on 9/11, John Vigiano "devoted his life" to thanking America’s military and first responders, his grandson shared.
Joseph Vigiano Jr. said that following in his family’s footsteps "wasn’t the original plan."
"Growing up, we all had different career paths in mind," he said. "I wanted to be a paleontologist."
"But life had other plans. And after seeing how the members of the NYPD took in my family as one of their own after the passing of my father, it set me forth on a course to become a police officer."
Joseph Vigiano Jr. wants to let other first responders know that their sacrifice "doesn’t go unnoticed."
"You took the fight after our family suffered on 9/11," he said. "And we remember, and we do appreciate what you've done for us and our family and this country."
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Kathleen Vigiano expressed her pride for her three sons, including John Vigiano, who is currently serving in Hawaii with the U.S. Marine Corps.
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"I'm very proud of my boys," she said. "And I appreciate them being recognized [by the Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project] for their service."
While the Patriot Awards have typically taken place in October, Corlew said that having the ceremony on 9/11 this year would be symbolic in honoring all those who served.
"We could honor hundreds, if not thousands, of people who did something [on 9/11] that was above and beyond human nature to save, restore and care for us," he told Fox News Digital.
The event will also feature special guests, including military consultant Mark "Oz" Geist, known for his heroic acts in Benghazi, and country star Trace Adkins.