FDNY's 'keeper of the legacy,' who has kept the memory of 9/11 alive, retiring

As the FDNY’s “keeper of the legacy,” Lt. Joseph LaPointe has been to hundreds of department ceremonies, scores of firefighter funerals and nearly two dozen 9/11 anniversary commemorations.

This Thursday’s will be his last one.

Days after the last victim’s name is read at the annual 9/11 Ground Zero memorial service in Lower Manhattan, LaPointe will retire after more than 20 years running the FDNY’s Ceremonial Unit and more than 35 years in the department.

Later this month, LaPointe turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for the FDNY. He noted that he is retiring a year before 9/11’s 25th anniversary, a ceremony he has been a part of every year.

“If I had my choice, I would have probably stayed one more year,” LaPointe said. “I have a feeling I’ll be there in some kind of capacity.