A quarter-century after the September 11 attacks, the family of fallen FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller will honor his final journey by walking the route he took through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel on his way to the World Trade Center.
Frank Siller, along with relatives from the Siller family, will take part in the private tribute walk before gathering with hundreds of friends, supporters and first responder advocates at FDNY Ten House.
The remembrance will serve as the closing moment for Tunnel to Towers’ “Steel Across America” tour, a nationwide journey that began in May and has carried Stephen Siller’s legacy — along with a 21-foot steel beam from the South Tower — to communities across the country.
Frank Siller, CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, is seen beside a section of World Trade Center steel that will be part of the organization’s nationwide mission to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary. (Courtesy: Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen Siller had just finished his fire department shift when he learned that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center.
“Stephen drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others,” the tour’s website recounts.
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The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was started in honor of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who died responding to the attacks. (Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
Since its founding, inspired by Siller and his favorite quote, “While we have time, let us do good,” Tunnel to Towers 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. The organization 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 lost their lives for future generations.
The Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute has helped to educate students from kindergarten through 12th grade on 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.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller speaks during the Steel Across America tour’s stop at West Point. (Jason Thiele Fotografik Memories/Courtesy Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
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, this 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.