What I equally wasn't ready for, was this past Saturday, when I heard the attack through Mike, Bobby and other’s eyes. We had flown into LaGuardia and picked up by these two retired New York Firemen in a SUV donated by actor Gary Sinise, the SUV helps NYFD families get around to appointments and other official events.
After a quick introduction, we headed into town, Bobby driving and Mike giving us the “down low” on all the things going on over the weekend, and how much they appreciated what USA Cares was doing for the troops.
They also told us about a Memorial that had been built honoring all the first responders that were lost that fateful day. And the more they talked about it, the more they decided we had to see it. “We had time” according to Mike, who appears to be the Grandfather of NYFD tackle football. We drove to the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball stadium on Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
There on the wall are 343 Fire Fighters, 23 Police Officers and 37 Port Authority Police Officers all appearing with their picture and their names. It wasn’t just about numbers. It was personal. Names, ranks, Ladder Companies, Squads, and them looking back at you.
The memorial also recognized the loss of 2,794 other Americans that day.
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The first plaque I read was Stephen’s. The names and companies went on and on, and Bobby and Mike knew a story about almost everyone of them. We learned that as a rookie Fire Fighter joins the department, he works his way through different fire stations to learn different skills and techniques in the art of fighting fires, from one floor garages, to 110 floor sky scrapers. All part of the learning process, all part of building a brotherhood of thousands of fire fighters.
The other thing one can’t help but notice is that many of the names below the images are the same. Fathers, sons and cousins, all drawn to the same call: being a Fire Fighter…and many of them were drawn into the hell of that beautiful September morning.
Mike described Fire Fighters, one after another, not in terms of a courageous men, but of a fellow football player, a cousin, a friend, father and mentor. They talked about the first fireman to die, ironically killed when a “jumper” landed on him as he connected a hose to a hydrant. His fellow Fire Fighters were saved from being killed because they were moving him to a collection point when the first tower came down. They remembered the young Fire Fighter on his second fire, his first; a simple kitchen fire.
They talked about so many of these men as friends, still in the first person, and it became more and more obvious to me that without a doubt, they and the firemen I met over the next two days had all experienced a day that has no comparison, except maybe to those who fought through Pearl Harbor. It goes
I was a policeman part of my life and worked around Fire Fighters as part of the job. We played baseball against them and complained about how they only worked two weeks a month, They seemed to have a good life. All that type of thinking has changed now for me. I wish I could go back in time and tell them how proud I was of them.
As we left the Memorial, they drove us on the same route that Stephen Siller had run with his “turnout” gear toward what was to become his last fire. I learned that if he had been a little farther down the road that day, he would have crossed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and would not have been able to get back. However, Siller hadn’t made the turn yet. He heard the call, and when he found the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel blocked to traffic, he left his vehicle and ran the last three plus miles to join his company. This past Sunday, 25,000 runners followed his footsteps. An equal number or more cheered them on.
His brother George wrote in memory of his brother, words that I can’t do better.
By George Siller, in Memory of my brother Stephen Siller
November 15, 1966 - September. 11, 2001
It was a perfect day, so clear and so crisp.
Innocent workers entered the buildings, not knowing the risk.
This perfect day, full of sunlight and promise,
Became another holocaust, with days full of solace.
The terrorists aimed our own planes at the Towers.
My whole world stopped, in the ensuing hours.
My youngest brother Stephen had already finished his tour.
His three older brothers waited on the golf course, to make it four.
He heard the call, raced to the site, no more thoughts of the links,
Because that's just the way a fireman thinks!
No one really knows just how he got there.
I'm sure he never gave up, amidst all the despair.
We heard from a source, he ran through the tunnel on that fateful day.
He was just thinking of others, not worried about the price he would pay.
We all watched in horror as the Towers came down.
Please Dear God, we prayed, keep my brother safe and sound.
As the days moved on we came to accept
My brother Stephen was a hero, as were all the rest.
Such a perfect day had come and gone,
Now it's up to us, to carry on.
What to say to his five children and wife?
How do I try to explain what's ahead in their life?
I'll tell them their father was a saint and hero,
Who fought courageously, the battle at Ground Zero.
Yes, Stephen like many was too young and so brave.
When you're a fireman, you fear not the grave.
And now Squad 1 from Brooklyn knows, all eleven have died:
Not a single one of those brave souls was able to survive.
When will we smile again, when will we sleep?
The Lord has taken Stephen, his Soul to keep.
Such a perfect day has come and gone, And now it's up to us, to carry on.
Thank you Fire Fighter Siller, for your sacrifice and courage and the footsteps you showed us all.
Roger
PS. I want to also acknowledge Gary Sinise again, he and his wife were major supporters of this memorial that adorns the wall of the Cyclone Stadium, and if you have a chance, stop by 1902 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224-2410 and spend a few minutes at the Memorial, you will be glad you did.
To Bobby and Mike, thanks for the time, the memories and the friendship, it was my honor to meet you.
Men like you don't just come along, they show up when you need them. I see that in the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coasties that we work with everyday. You were the first Warriors that day, you and your "Band of Brothers" fought the good fight.
I could hear the pride in your voice as you talked about your friends, thanks for sharing with us.
For more information visit Tunnel to Tower Run
They are on Facebook too at Tunnel To Towers Run
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