9/11 First Responder Luis Alvarez Awarded NYC's Highest Honor

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Luis Alvarez, the Astoria-bred NYPD detective who fought to extend health benefits for 9/11 first responders up until his death, received the city's highest civic honor for his tireless advocacy.

Alvarez was among 19 honorees, including former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart and three other first responders, who were awarded Bronze Medallions for their work to get Congress to extend the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

"You should not have had to fight this fight, but thank god you did," de Blasio said. "Supporting our heroes should have been self-evident."

President Donald Trump signed the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Act extension into law in July, after a long and fraught battle between New York City advocates and Senate Republicans who argued the fund was too expensive.

Alvarez's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee this summer played a major role in convincing the Senate that the fund was worth the expense.

"We were part of showing the world that we would never back down from terrorism and that we could all work together: no races, no colors, no politics," Alvarez testified in June. "I did not want to be anywhere else but Ground Zero when I was there."

Alvarez was admitted to hospice days after he appeared before Congress and died in June, following a three-year battle with colorectal cancer.

He had attributed his cancer to the three months he spent searching for survivors and remains in the rubble of the World Trade Center's twin towers after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks..

Alvarez was born in Cuba, grew up in Astoria and graduated from Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in East Elmhurst in 1983, according to QNS.com.

He joined the NYPD in 1990 and became a detective in the department's bomb squad.

Detective Luis Alvarez is posthumously awarded the Bronze Medallion to a standing ovation. The Medallion is New York City’s highest civic honor. Lou tirelessly pushed for the permanent 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund while fighting cancer. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/LprVd2NgmY
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) December 16, 2019