Jan Vigiano and John Vigiano Sr.

John Vigiano, Sr. is a retired New York City firefighter whose two sons followed him into service—John Jr. was a firefighter, like his father, and Joe was a police detective.

On September 11, 2001, both Vigiano brothers responded to the call from the World Trade Center, and both were killed while saving others.

At StoryCorps, John Sr. sat down with his wife, Jan, to remember their sons.

Click here to watch the Peabody-award winning animated short about the Vigiano brothers, “John and Joe.”

Originally aired September 11, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.