Roll of Honor
Donald Richard Gotthardt, Jr.
Incident
Master Police Officer Don Gotthardt died as a result of cancer that he developed following his response to the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001, and during his subsequent assignment to the search and recovery efforts after the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
Officer Gotthardt had served with the Fairfax County Police Department for 25 years. He had previously served with the Arlington County Police Department for nine years.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Master Police Officer Donald Richard Gotthardt, Jr. was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 42 years old that fall.
He died on October 16, 2025 - 24 years and 1 month later - of an illness contracted there. He was 66.
He is one of 599 officers honored here.
The most recent of these deaths was October 24, 2025.
Officers who worked the search, rescue, and recovery at the World Trade Center site breathed contaminated air for weeks and months afterward. Many developed cancers and respiratory disease, and they have gone on dying of it ever since.
Seventy-two officers were killed on the morning itself. Hundreds more have died in the years that followed. They are honored here together, because the same attack killed them all. With some it simply took longer.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two stepchildren, and grandson.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-291F2EFD- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Master Police Officer Gotthardt gave the Fairfax County Police Department 34 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fairfax community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Master Police Officer Gotthardt.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Master Police Officer Donald Richard Gotthardt, Jr. is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In VA, 23 of 654 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.5% of this state's fallen. That is 5.6 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Fairfax County Police Department, 2 of 8 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Donald Richard Gotthardt, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Donald Richard Gotthardt, Jr. Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Donald Richard Gotthardt, Jr. is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Fairfax County Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
