End of Watch September 11, 2001
Age 38
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
The Vigil Panel 149 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Location: Pennsylvania Weapon: Aircraft; Passenger jet Offender: 19 suicide attackers

Refuge Manager Richard Guadagno was killed when the commercial airliner he was a passenger on was hijacked while he was returning from vacation.

The plane crashed after passengers, who had heard about the other hijackings, attempted to re-take control of the plane in flight. During the re-taking effort, the plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. Although it cannot be proven, there is reason to believe that Manager Guadagno was among those who attempted to re-take control of the plane. Manager Guadagno's badge and credentials were found in trees where the cockpit debris had broken off and scattered into, highly suggesting Manager Guadagno was among the passengers who fought back and attempted to retake control of the plane.

Manager Guadagno had been employed with the United States Department of the Interior for 17 years.

September 11, 2001

Refuge Manager Richard Jerry Guadagno was killed at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was 38 years old.

He is one of 72 officers honored here.

Seventy-two law enforcement officers from eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, alongside 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and more than 2,800 civilians. A fourth aircraft went down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a law enforcement officer aboard was among the dead.

Officers went into the towers while everyone else was coming out. More than 25,000 people reached safety because they did.

Survivors

He is survived by his parents and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-ACA49FBE
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You went in while everyone else was coming out.
Refuge Manager Guadagno gave the United States Department of the Interior 17 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Refuge Manager Guadagno.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Falls Church, VA
Platform Identity usdifwsdrlecons.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 11, 2001
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Terrorist attack
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Refuge Manager Richard Jerry Guadagno is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In VA, 24 of 656 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.7% of this state's fallen. That is 3.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of the Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service - Division of Refuge Law Enforcement, 1 of 10 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 10% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service - Division of Refuge Law Enforcement
1
of 10 officers
10% Illness
VA — Statewide
24
of 656 officers
3.7% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Jerry Guadagno's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Richard Jerry Guadagno Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
17
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Jerry Guadagno is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location