Being a City official, I am doing my part in the City’s rescue and recovery efforts. And since my first day back to work since the 11th, everyone from my friends and family, to my South Park family – to those that stand in the middle of the West Side Highway and shake my hand as I drive to and from work have praised me for my work and called me a hero. While I appreciate that and always get a good feeling when people call me a hero – I never felt like the hero that people have told me I am – until Sunday.

On Sunday, the superstars of the World Wrestling Federation had their first show in Madison Square Garden since the ferocious attack on New York City September 11th. Being a very charitable company and one that always remembers where it came from, the WWF wanted to spend the hours before their afternoon show thanking those heroes that have worked around the clock to bring this City back to normalcy. So on their website, Jim Ross mentioned that they would be going to Ground Zero to shake the hands of the emergency workers that have spent the last six weeks right in the middle of the destruction.

After reading The Ross Report, I called the WWF and informed them that they were not going to be able to go to Ground Zero because everyone is being turned away due to the fact that it is the world’s largest crime scene. I must tell you that having to tell the WWF that they could not go somewhere was an odd feeling, but they were very nice about it.

When they found out that they would not be able to go to Ground Zero, they asked me if there was anything else they could do, so I invited them to the OEM Command Center to meet the workers that may not be at Ground Zero – but are working just as tirelessly. They not only agreed to come – but they agreed to bring their top superstars and a truckload of merchandise. So I arranged to be the WWF’s personal escort through the Command Center that morning – and anxiously awaited their arrival on Sunday

As Sunday morning approached, I was getting very excited. Being a life long wrestling fan and someone who works in the business, I have spent many days in the company of wrestlers – but this was probably the biggest wrestling-related moment I would ever experience. For one hour, every one of the top superstars of the World Wrestling Federation were going to be listening to me and following me through the Command Center.

It was when I saw the four vans pull up to the checkpoint Sunday morning that I started to get really excited – and when I saw who exited the vans – I realized that if I stay in the wrestling business for the next fifty years – I would never again experience something like this again.

Here I was, in the elevator and talking to Vince, Linda, Stephanie and Shane McMahon, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker, Booker T, Kurt Angle, The APA, Debra and Jim Ross. Never in my life did I think all of those superstars would be in my presence at the same time. And not only were they in my presence – they were paying attention to what I was saying – and were enjoying my company.

When we walked into the Command Center, the place lit up as staunch and tough police officers turned into excited teenagers – asking all of the superstars for photos and autographs. As I looked around and saw the joy on the faces of workers that have sacrificed so much of their own personal lives since the 11th – I was very proud of myself that I made that call to the WWF and asked them to come to the Command Center. I finally felt that I actually did something more then take members of the press to and from Ground Zero and stay with Mayor Giuliani as he met with world leaders. I felt like I actually made a difference in the lives of my fellow workers, brought them some joy – and if even for a little while – made them forget why we are all at the Command Center in the first place.

After the WWF Superstars left the Command Center, I went to WWF New York where the WWF threw a meet and greet lunch for the families of the City workers that made the ultimate sacrifice on that fateful and horrible day. I then headed to Madison Square Garden to see the WWF’s first show since the 11th. Last week, I received a number of tickets for the show from the President of the New York City Sports Commission, who told me to make sure they are given to the right people. I gave them to as many people as I could – but had three tickets left over with no one to give them to. As I was getting ready to head into the Garden, I met a fan of Ring Fever who wanted to introduce me to three of her friends who came to the show to meet some wrestlers. As I was saying my goodbyes to them, I found out that they did not have tickets to the show – but were just there to meet the wrestlers. So I gave them the three extra tickets – and made three more people very happy.

But despite the fact that I made those three fans happy by giving them tickets, and despite the fact that I also brought joy to my fellow workers at the Command Center by arranging for the WWF superstars to come to meet them – what made me feel most like a hero was finding out that the WWF, after arranging to visit the Command Center – decided to donate one million dollars to the World Trade Center Relief Fund. When I heard that, I was almost moved to tears. The fact that my efforts to bring the WWF to the Command Center to spread a little joy inadvertently generated a million dollar donation to the families who have been forever altered by this senseless atrocity finally makes me feel like a hero. All of my life, I try to bring joy to everyone I can – because my life has been blessed with so much joy – but for that joy to result in such a monumental donation was the one thing since the 11th that made me feel like the hero that everyone has called me for the past five and a half weeks.

I want to openly thank the McMahon family and World Wrestling Federation Entertainment for their selfless donation of time, merchandise and money to the cause – and for taking the time out of their busy schedules to send their superstars to the Command Center and to the firehouses effected by the attack. If there is one thing that I love, it is when celebrities use their star power and influence to bring joy to people – and that is precisely what the WWF did on Sunday. At the places they visited, at their restaurant, and at Madison Square Garden, they brought joy and happiness to thousands of people – and made us all forget what happened to us less then six weeks ago – at least for a little while.

Now that’s a hero.