Rex Aaron Stockham
Agency patch
Special Agent

Rex Aaron Stockham

Illness
End of Watch October 8, 2016
Age 53
Tour of Duty 31 yrs
The Vigil Panel 166 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Location: Pennsylvania Incident Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 Weapon: Aircraft; Passenger jet Offender: 19 suicide attackers

Special Agent Rex Stockham died as the result of cancer he developed from being exposed to hazardous materials during recovery efforts at the crash site of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Special Agent Stockham had served with the FBI for 31 years.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Special Agent Rex Aaron Stockham was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 38 years old that fall.

He died on October 8, 2016 - 15 years later - of an illness contracted there. He was 53.

He is one of 599 officers honored here, and one of 19 at United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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, three sons, two daughters, mother, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-02E072D8
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 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.
Special Agent Stockham gave the United States Department of Justice 31 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Stockham.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdjfbifed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 8, 2016
Tour of Duty 31 yrs
Age 53
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail 9/11 related illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Special Agent Rex Aaron Stockham is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In DC, 137 of 1,419 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.7% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, 20 of 89 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 22.5% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
20
of 89 officers
22.5% Illness
DC — Statewide
137
of 1,419 officers
9.7% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rex Aaron Stockham's cause is highlighted.

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

How Rex Aaron Stockham Compares

Age at Death
53
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
31
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Rex Aaron Stockham is highlighted in Oct.

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