Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas

Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas | Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, New York Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas | Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, New York
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, New York
Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas | Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, New York
Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas | Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, New York
Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, New York

End of Watch Wednesday, April 30, 2025

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Kathleen M. Radziunas

Sergeant Kathleen Radziunas died as a result of cancer that she developed following her assignment to provide transportation to and from the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Sergeant Radziunas had served with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department for 20 years. Survivors include her husband. two sons, a daughter, parents, two brothers, and a nephew.

The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-two law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site on 9/11.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1st, 2011, members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers who have died as a result of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Bio

  • Age 54
  • Tour 20 years
  • Badge Not available

Incident Details

  • Cause 9/11 related illness
  • Incident Date Tuesday, September 11, 2001
  • Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet
  • Offender 19 suicide attackers

9/11, terrorism

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Heavenly Father, God of Life and Death, You are with us from the moment we are conceived to the moment we leave this earthly life. We know from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 13, that America’s Peace Officers have a sacred task, to enforce laws that protect the innocent and punish the guilty.

Lord God, it is my desire that the family, friends, and comrades of all America’s Fallen Peace Officers will find encouragement, hope, comfort and peace from this prayer.

Now, our hearts feel heavy with grief because of the loss of another American Peace Officer that leaves us feeling so alone once again. There are moments when the grief feels overwhelming, and we find it difficult to move forward. But we know You see our pain and feel our loss and sorrow.

Lord God, hold us in Your loving and most capable arms and comfort us with Your presence. Let us feel Your peace in the midst of our heartache and Your quiet assurance that we are not walking this path alone. Wipe away our tears and remind us of the hope we have in You. You are our refuge and our strength, our ever present help in trouble. Teach us how to carry this loss of another American Peace Officer without losing hope. Help us to release our emotional pain into Your merciful and compassionate hands, trusting that You are working even in our most difficult moments. When our grief feels too much to bear, fill us with the courage necessary to face each day and the faith to keep moving forward.

Thank You, Lord God, for Your unfailing love and for being the God who sees us, holds us, and walks with us as we endure the spiritual assaults of Satan, the calamities of nature, and the wickedness of sinful humanity.

In commemorating the death of this fallen hero, help us also to remember that death is not the end. Death does not have the final say but is simply the transition from this earthly life to the heavenly life yet to come. This assurance was guaranteed to all believers upon the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God! We look forward to that life to come with joy and anticipation.

Lord God, if You are willing, have Your warrior servant, Michael the Archangel, “Your Defender and Protector Against Evil”, who successfully defeated Satan and his fallen angels in heavenly battle because of his unwavering faith and courage, according to the Book of Revelation Chapter 12, welcome America’s Fallen Peace Officers into Your Eternal Light and comfort their loved ones and all those left behind who mourn.

Finally, Lord God, we place our trust and sorrow into Your loving and most capable hands and rest in the hope that You will ultimately bring “Beauty from the Ashes”. In Christ Jesus’ mighty and holy Name, and by His Power, Authority, and Sacrificial Blood, I believe and pray. Amen.

Jesus taught them: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NIV)

Jesus taught His Disciples: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NIV)


Chaplain Steven R. Closs, DDiv, MSBS, NCCA, NACM
Ordained, Independent Christian Clergy
The Badge 183 Peacemakers Prayer Ministry
Member: Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers - USA

Captain Steven R. Closs (Retired)
Nashua NH Police Department (1974-1998)

March 12, 2026

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