Date of Death: February 25, 2007 resulting from performing duties as a 9/11 First Responder.
Cause of Death: On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was commandeered by terrorists while on its way from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California. Passengers attempted to retake the plane during the flight, and it crashed into an abandoned strip mine near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The impact crater contained aviation fuel and smoldering debris that burned for several days after the crash. FBI Evidence Response Team (ERT) members, including Special Agent Paul Wilson, used heavy machinery to remove debris and contaminated soil from the crater before manually sifting through debris to recover possible evidence. As the ERT processed the crash scene, Wilson assisted in building sifting screens, transporting evidence to the Somerset County Airport and transporting personal effects and human remains to the temporary morgue at the National Guard Armory.
Wilson retired from the FBI in January 2004 and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006. He succumbed to the disease on February 25, 2007. Extensive research by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health established sufficient evidence that Wilson’s exposure to the air at the Shanksville crash site either precipitated or accelerated his development of pancreatic cancer. SA Wilson was born in June 1951 in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He entered on duty with the FBI in March 1981.
Burial Location:
Hillcrest Memorial Park
Hermitage, Pennsylvania
Section JJ, Lot 190, Grave 2