Remembering September 11: Our Responsibility to Tell the Story

Ordinary People. Extraordinary Courage.

While September 11, 2001, was one of the most tragic days in our nation's history, it also showed the world what true Americanism really is.

There were heroes everywhere that day. Ordinary people stepped forward and did extraordinary things. People ran toward danger while others were running away.

I can only imagine what it would feel like to be a New York City firefighter or police officer looking up at those burning towers with thick black smoke pouring out of them. Knowing that this could be your last act on Earth, but still going in to save your fellow citizens. Climbing the stairs with your gear on. Encouraging those who were able to self-rescue to do so. Continuing to climb, alongside your crew, to help those who were not able to help themselves.

They didn't go in that day because they wanted to be heroes. They went in because they were firefighters. They were police officers. They went in because people needed them. They went in because they had made a commitment to serve their community, no matter the cost. I have seen estimates that nearly 20,000 lives were saved that day at the World Trade Center.

My September 11

My memory of September 11, 2001, was being on duty at our Firehouse. B Shift was on duty. The temperature for the day listed in our logbook was 55 degrees.

Firefighter/Paramedic David Heckman and I are the only B Shift members working that day who are still with the department. Our other shift mates were Arlen Nies, Gene Sullivan, Doug Van Winkle, and Aaron Burger. Our Captain was Bob Miller.

While doing our morning cleaning chores, Doug stopped by my area to tell me that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers.

When I was finished with that job, I moved out to where the rest of the shift was watching the news. As we were transfixed on the television screen, we saw another plane fly into the second tower. I can still vividly see the second airplane impact the South Tower, just as I did that day. I can still envision our shocked faces. Just like everyone else who witnessed those events, we knew that life would never be the same.

As that day unfolded, we continued watching the events unfold in New York City. We witnessed both towers collapse and the attack on the Pentagon. We learned about the passengers of Flight 93, who made the
decision to fight back rather than allow their flight to become another weapon.

While all of this was happening, we continued to provide emergency services to Beatrice. We still had a job to do. But as soon as we returned to the Firehouse, we were back to watching the news. It was a difficult day for all of us.

They Were Family

I remember thinking after the towers collapsed that I had lost a lot of brother firefighters that day.
I did not know anyone personally on the New York City Fire Department, it did not matter. They were still family. They were firefighters.

They were firefighters who had answered the same calling that we had. Willing to do whatever they could to help their fellow citizens. That is what family means to the fire service.

As the day progressed, I can only imagine what it was like for the families, waiting, not knowing, wondering if their husband or wife, son or daughter, their mother or father, survived. Some families waited a very long time before they knew.

Remembering Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Those of us in the Fire Service tend to focus on FDNY because of the tremendous loss they suffered that morning. In a few short hours, 343 firefighters were killed in this terrorist attack.

One of the first documented firefighter deaths was FDNY Chaplain Father Mychal Judge. Father Judge responded to Ground Zero to support his firefighters and others spiritually. As he was giving last rites to an individual, he was killed after being struck by falling debris. I will never forget seeing the images of firefighters carrying Father Judge’s lifeless body away from the towers.

There is a belief in the fire service that Father Judge was the first one to go to heaven that day- to welcome the firefighters, police officers, military members, and innocent victims who followed.

Ground Zero also took 71 police officers from the NYPD and Port Authority.

Often overlooked are the eight Paramedics from private ambulance services who died that day doing their duty.

Others who perished that fateful day were 125 people at the Pentagon, 40 on Flight 93, and 2,977 at the World Trade Center, with approximately 6,000 injured.

The Sacrifice Didn’t End on September 11

The loss did not end on September 11. Thousands of firefighters, police officers, paramedics, military personnel, construction workers, volunteers, and others from across our nation went to Ground Zero in the days and weeks that followed. The sacrifice continued long after the cameras left. The sacrifice continues today.

Over 9,000 first responders, workers, and survivors have died from illnesses tied to the toxic exposure at Ground Zero.

Our Responsibility to Remember

As we mark the 25th Anniversary of one of the darkest days in our nation's history, it is also a time to reflect on the greatest nation in the world and the people who make it great.

For those of us who occupy firehouses and police stations, military bases and schools, grocery stores and city halls, we should remember to be proud of the society we live in and the role we each play in making it what it is.

For many of us, September 11, 2001, is part of the history we have lived.

This date is not the history of many people. For those of us who experienced that time, it is our responsibility to tell our tales and others' of that tragic day to those who did not.

Because if we stop telling the story, eventually there will be no one left who remembers.

Brian Daake
Fire Cheif