The final salute to former NYPD detective and 9/11 hero Luis Alvarez, who spent his final days pleading with Congress on behalf of his fellow first responders, started Tuesday afternoon. Family, friends and fellow New Yorkers paid tribute to the hero during his wake Tuesday at Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside -- just days after he died from 9/11-related cancer over the weekend. "Before he became a hero across this country, he was always mine" his son, David Alvarez, said during a press conference outside the funeral home. "I remember my father the way I will, but I always appreciate the memory the rest of the country will hold of him." Alvarez's brother, Phillip Alvarez, shared similar sentiments when addressing the public outside the wake. NBC 4 New York on Twitter: 4.nbcny.com/kAuuwUN NBC 4 New York on Facebook: 4.nbcny.com/mbeh714 NBC 4 New York on Instagram: 4.nbcny.com/g5YlkcI NBC 4 New York on Youtube: 4.nbcny.com/iTUpy5e #911 #FirstResponders #Lu...