Barry Driscoll, the 25-year-old Irish American son of Emergency Service Unit cop Stephen Driscoll who died on 9/11 has followed in his father’s footsteps, even taking his dad's shield number as he proudly joined the NYPD.
Despite the heartbreak that befell his mother Ann Driscoll on 9/11 Barry's mother had no reservations whatsoever about her only child's decision to follow in his father's footsteps.
'I never worried about Stephen, I’m not going to worry about Barry. God has a plan, He will take care of you,' she told The New York Post this week.
After his swearing in ceremony in December, Barry received the badge number 17482 and was assigned to the 44th Precinct in The Bronx.
Although he originally attended Boston University to study international relations, Barry's life and career plans changed after his father was killed at the World Trade Center.
Stephen Driscoll was a member of a search-and-rescue team that mobilized minutes after the first jet hit the north tower.
Although she puts on a brave face privately Ann admits she has felt some anxiety about the danger of the job. When President Obama ordered Navy SEALS to corner and killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden on May 2, Ann admits she grew fearful for her son's safety.
'That was the one day I was afraid for Barry, I was afraid of retaliation,' she told The Post.
'They caught the person who did this to me and my family and thousands of other families but it didn’t really change my life. It wasn’t going to bring Stephen back,' she said.
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The pain of her loss and the pride she takes in her son can be heard in the pleasure she take noting that Barry is the image of his father.
'He’s the spitting image of Stephen but with his mother’s smile,' she added.
Barry, who lives in Westchester with wife Erin and their baby Nora, will spend 9/11 with friends and relatives remembering his father at a family gathering.
He told The Post he hopes to honor his dad by fulfilling a dream to play the bagpipes in the NYPD’s Emerald Society Pipes and Drums - where Stephen was a member of the Honor Guard.
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