On the somber anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a group of former officers made it a tradition to visit cemeteries where their fallen brothers lay.

On Wednesday, a group of former NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers paid respect to their colleagues who died as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The group says that this visitation has been a tradition among them for over a decade. 

Some of the former officers come from out of state. One former officer from New Hampshire says this is a trip that he can't miss.

Former ESU officer Owen McCaffrey says he and the group gather around the grave of the fallen officers to tell stories about them. He says they then say a prayer to the officer and move on to the next grave to do the same.  

MORE: ESU workers at Pinelawn Memorial Park 

Many of the fallen ESU officers were from Long Island, such as Joe Vigiano from Medford. The group says they all have stories about Vigiano and that he was a great officer.

"They gave everything for this city and they gave everything for this country," says former ESU officer Brian Wall. "And they lost everything."

Former ESU officer Ralph Pascullo says visiting his fallen brothers still hurts. “But I have to be here, I have to let them know that we care,” he says. “And that we’ll always be here for them.”