The family of Stephen Siller, the FDNY firefighter who died on 9/11 after running through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel toward the World Trade Center, will retrace his steps to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Frank Siller and other family members will take part in a private walk before joining hundreds of friends and supporters at FDNY Ten House, the firehouse across from Ground Zero.
The walk will conclude the Tunnel to Towers «Steel Across America» tour, which began in May and has traveled the country with a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the South Tower. The tour carried Siller's story to communities nationwide, using the beam as a physical reminder of the attacks and the sacrifices made that day.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Siller had just finished his shift with the fire department when he learned a plane had struck the World Trade Center. He drove to the entrance of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave his life while saving others.
The organization founded in his memory, Tunnel to Towers, has grown into a national nonprofit guided by Siller's favorite quote: «While we have time, let us do good.» Since its founding, it has provided more than 1,700 mortgage-free homes to the families of fallen service members and first responders, as well as to disabled veterans and first responders. It has also delivered housing assistance and support services to more than 20,000 homeless veterans and holds hundreds of events nationwide to honor America's heroes and preserve the memory of those who died.
The Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute has worked to educate students from kindergarten through 12th grade on what it describes as the extraordinary heroism and goodness of everyday people on Sept. 11, while demonstrating the strength and resilience of America's spirit. Its mobile 9/11 exhibit has traveled to nearly all 50 states as well as Canada, extending the organization's educational reach beyond New York.
To mark the 25th anniversary, Tunnel to Towers also launched its 343 Homes Initiative this year to honor the 343 New York firefighters who died on Sept. 11. According to the group, the initiative will deliver 343 mortgage-free homes to the families of fallen service members and fallen first responders, as well as to catastrophically injured service members across the country.
The anniversary walk and the Ten House gathering will bring together family members, supporters, and fellow firefighters, closing a tour that has spent months carrying a piece of the fallen tower and one firefighter's story across the nation. The events serve both as a memorial and as a continuation of the service mission that grew out of Siller's final run through the tunnel.