Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Michael O'Donnell died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
Trooper O'Donnell was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the New York State Police for 30 years.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Trooper Michael R. O'Donnell was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 53 years old that fall.
He died on December 24, 2020 - 19 years and 3 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 72.
He is one of 599 officers honored here, and one of 38 at New York State Police.
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, son, daughter, brother, and three grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-AA4121C3- 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.
Trooper O'Donnell gave the New York State Police 30 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of New York. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper O'Donnell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Michael R. O'Donnell served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Trooper Michael R. O'Donnell 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 NY, 629 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 29.3% of this state's fallen. That is 20.2 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At New York State Police, 41 of 171 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 24% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael R. O'Donnell's cause is highlighted.
How Michael R. O'Donnell Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Michael R. O'Donnell is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
170 officers from New York State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
