The image of firefighters Dan McWilliams, George Johnson and Billy Eisengrein raising the tattered Stars and Stripes on September 11 became a symbol of hope for Americans on their darkest day. The three firefighters had spent the day at Ground Zero searching for survivors among the mammoth piles of rubble and in late afternoon were told to evacuate due to imminent collapse of … [Read more...] about Flag-Raising Firefighters
9/11
The Legacy of Chief Geraghty
Battalion Chief Edward Geraghty, of Battalion 9, Engine 54, Ladder 4 (48th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City), was an 18-year veteran of the department and the recipient of many meritorious awards throughout his long and distinguished career. "Anyone who got to spend time around Chief Geraghty knew he was a special person. The kinda guy we were all supposed to grow up … [Read more...] about The Legacy of Chief Geraghty
Bill Butler
Firefighter Bill Butler is very grateful to be alive. He and five colleagues from Ladder 6, Engine 9, were in the North Tower helping to rescue a Port Authority worker named Josephine Harris when the building collapsed around them. Miraculously, the part of the stairwell that they were in remained intact and they survived though others above and below them perished. When the … [Read more...] about Bill Butler
Arlene Howard: A Mother’s Love
Arlene Howard presented a very moving picture when she pressed her son George's New York Port Authority Police Department shield into the hand of President George W. Bush. The 77-year-old's son had died helping to rescue victims of the September 11 attacks, and President Bush was well aware of the honor behind the gesture. After thanking her, he whispered to her, "We'll get … [Read more...] about Arlene Howard: A Mother’s Love
Roger Smyth:
NYC 911 Paramedic
Belfast native Roger Smyth moved to the U.S. five years ago and for the last three and a half years has worked at New York University Hospital's downtown location on Gold and Beekman Streets, a few blocks from the World Trade Center.
At about 8:50 on the morning of September 11, Smyth was at home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, when a friend called to tell him that a plane had struck … [Read more...] about Roger Smyth:
NYC 911 Paramedic