Family of off-duty FDNY firefighter retraces steps as Tunnel to Towers mission continues on 9/11 anniversary
Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller and family members honored his late brother Stephen Siller — a heroic 34-year-old husband, father, and firefighter who, after hearing about the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack, loaded himself down with gear, and traversed through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel on foot heading to the Twin Towers, and ultimately giving his life — by retracing the man's steps on Friday as Americans marked the grim 25th anniversary of the heinous attacks.
"Together, they carried Stephen’s memory, his legacy, and the promise that his sacrifice – like so many others – would Never Be Forgotten," Tunnel to Towers noted in a press release.
The charity transported a steel beam from one of the Twin Towers around the U.S. for several months, with their "Steel Across America" tour finally culminating with the Siller family's trek through the tunnel today.
AMERICA MARKS 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 ATTACKS
"This morning’s walk through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was part of the conclusion of Steel Across America, a journey that began four-and-a-half months ago and carried a 21-foot, 16,900-pound World Trade Center steel beam more than 10,500 miles through nearly 40 stops across the country and back, stopping in more than 21 states," the organization noted. "For over four months, the steel has been a gathering place for communities to remember the events of September 11th, to honor first responders and veterans, and to ensure that a new generation understands the significance of what happened 25 years ago."
Stephen Siller Jr., who was just 9 months old when his father died, according to Frank Siller, said during a Friday morning appearance on "Fox & Friends," "The Tunnel to Towers foundation has given my family so much, through the loss of my father, through the work we're doing to keep his memory alive. Every day we have events across the country. Every day we're helping somebody in his name. That is such a beautiful, beautiful gift," he noted.
FRANK SILLER: 'I LOVE YOU, BROTHER' -- THE 9/11 LOSS THAT INSPIRED A MISSION OF SERVICE
Stephen Siller went to help respond to the 9/11 attacks after having already worked an overnight shift with the New York City Fire Department, according to Tunnel to Towers.
"On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen had just completed his overnight shift as an FDNY firefighter and was going to play golf with his brothers when he heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center on his personal scanner. He turned his car around and headed toward Manhattan to help. When he found that his unit had already responded and that the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel closed to traffic, he strapped 60 pounds of firefighting gear to his back and ran through the tunnel on foot toward the Twin Towers. Stephen, like so many others that day, never came home," the organization noted.
FAMILY OF 9/11 HERO TO RETRACE HIS STEPS IN FINAL TUNNEL TO TOWERS STOP
"Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to "do good" by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders," according to the press release. "Children of the Foundation’s home recipients are offered full scholarships for undergraduate degrees and accredited trade school programs, helping secure their futures. The Foundation is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget September 11, 2001."
