Norwalk, CT – Connecticut State Police Trooper Walter Greene died in the line of duty on May 31, after a courageous battle with a rare form of cancer he acquired while serving as a first responder during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, his agency said.

Trooper Greene, 51, was a member of the agency’s K9 unit, which was immediately called to New York in the wake of the attacks, to assist in the search for survivors and to recover victims’ bodies, the Hartford Courant reported.

For days, Trooper Greene and his K9 partner combed through the rubble at Ground Zero.

“A Norwalk resident who went to ground zero after the September 11th attacks, Trooper Greene was a true public servant,” Connecticut Senator Bob Duff said in a Facebook post. “His sense of duty and bravery during that dangerous time ultimately cost him his life.”

He was diagnosed with a rare form of late-stage colorectal cancer on June 30, 2016, according to his fundraising page.

“He was just a salt-of-the-earth guy,” Duff told the Hartford Courant. “He was a great family man and someone who didn’t deserve this.”

Trooper Greene joined the State Police’s 101st Training Troop in 1990, after having served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, the Hartford Courant reported.

During his 28 years with the state police, Trooper Greene was assigned to numerous divisions, and spent the latter portion of his career with the traffic services unit, the agency said.

He was also a master instructor for police motorcycle operators.

“As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a Connecticut State Trooper, TFC Greene lived a life of service to his community, state and country,” the state police said. “We are all grateful to have known and worked with a man of such remarkable character and dedication. TFC Greene will always be remembered as a man who maintained a true and unwavering commitment to help others at any cost.”

Trooper Greene was preceded in death by his daughter, Taylor, who died in 2017 at the age of 22 from a pulmonary embolism, according to his fundraising page.

He leaves behind his wife of 32 years, Suzanne, and his three sons, DJ, Thomas, and Cody, as well as his father, sisters, extended family, and many friends, his obituary read.

Trooper Greene will be laid to rest on Tuesday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Connecticut State Police Trooper Walter Greene, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

Trooper Greene, your life mattered.