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>> My name is Wendell Hart.
Most people call me Dell.
I work in Indianapolis as an explosive detection K9 handler.
My canine's name is Howard.
He's named after a 9/11 victim, George Howard.
>> 45-year-old George Howard was the father of two
and a Port Authority police officer.
He was also a volunteer firefighter, one of the first firefighters to arrive
at the World Trade Center the day of the attacks.
>> In 1993, when the terrorists first bombed the World Trade Center,
he was actually on his day off, came running in, and ended up getting a medal
for helping get some school students and a teacher out of an elevator shaft.
Fast forward to 2001, he was on his day off, and heard on the radio
that a plane hit one of the towers.
He immediately geared up and raced right to the scene and he got there,
pulled up just as the first building started collapsing.
That was the last anybody saw or heard of him.
When I found out Howard was named after a 9/11 hero, I was very excited.
I think it's very cool that you can carry on the legacy of a hero
and I don't know doing a hero's work really.
>> Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.
And I will carry this, it is the police shield of a man named George Howard
who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others.
It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son.
It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end.
>> Dell is very dedicated to the TSA mission.
He's always been up front and leading a good example.
>> I'm flying out to New York City to meet with Chris Howard,
which is George Howard's son, who's a New York City firefighter.
>> He's going to be able to meet with the family and let them know we're carrying
on Mr. Howard's legacy here in Indianapolis.
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>> Dell wrote a letter to my grandmother after he got the dog and just telling her
about the dog and asking her more information about my dad, stuff like that.
I'd like to meet him and get to know him,
so I can pass on more stuff for him to pass on.
My dad was a Washington DC fireman early in his life for three or four years.
He moved down there and became a fireman.
But he always loved New York so he came up here, became a cop.
Through the years, I met all his friends who were a New York City fireman.
They always loved their job, they always talked about it.
He always told me how great of a job it was.
Showed up, I took the test, and I've never looked back.
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>> Look, Howard.
>> Hey, buddy.
>> Hey, nice to meet you.
>> We've been looking forward to this for years, ever since I got Howard and got
in touch with Chris and finally obviously got a chance to do it eight years later.
But yeah, we're really excited.
>> My joke was he looks exactly like my dad, so [laughter].
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So, that's my dad's gun holster he had on his hip.
It's a tactical holster.
And that was the wallet that was in his pocket.
>> Wow.
>> I want him to be remembered for his dedication to duty,
that he showed up when he didn't have to.
>> We lost like 14 emergency service cops that day and those guys were Gods
and they full well knew that they probably would never come
out of those buildings and nobody hesitated.
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>> We got this dog here and he's an awesome dog, and we had a lot of fun
at the firehouse yesterday so --
>> We had a blast.
>> My dad was a big animal lover, so the fact that there's a dog named after him,
I think makes my dad, you know, pretty happy, wherever he is.
>> Having Howard named after his dad plays a huge role, keeping the name out there,
keeping this fresh on people's minds.
>> Don't forget what happened.
You know, you can never forget what happened.
>> They're waiting for us to be weak for a minute and we can't afford to do that.
My name is Dell Hart.
I'm an explosive detection K9 handler at Indianapolis International Airport.
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