Religious Pendant, Recovered

On September 11, FDNY Firefighter Durrell Pearsall—called Bronko by coworkers—was nearing the end of his shift when a call alerted Rescue Company 4 to the unfolding crisis at the World Trade Center. He responded to the scene wearing this necklace with a pendant depicting Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters. His last known location was in the South Tower, where he and five other Rescue Company 4 responders were likely assisting tenants out of the building. The necklace was recovered over a month later from the wreckage of the World Trade Center with his body. The words “Saint Florian protect us” remain visible on the medallion, circling the figure of the saint and adorning its border. The necklace is one of Pearsall’s few personal effects recovered from Ground Zero.