Tunnel to Towers honors 25th anniversary of 9/11 with steel tour
A massive piece of steel from the World Trade Center’s South Tower is crossing the country to help younger Americans understand the lasting impact of Sept. 11. Tunnel to Towers Foundation founder and CEO Frank Siller spoke with Jon Scott about the powerful moments unfolding along the memorial tour, including visitors who have been moved to tears while touching the 17,000-pound beam.
The 21-foot steel beam, recovered from the wreckage of the South Tower, is traveling up the East Coast this week as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America tour.
Launched earlier this year, the tour is designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks while honoring U.S. service members, first responders and the sacrifices made in the years since. The beam is scheduled to make stops in Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and New York City through Sept. 11.
On Wednesday night, the memorial tour will stop at Fenway Park in Boston during the Boston Red Sox game against the Seattle Mariners, before continuing Thursday to the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial.
A steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center arrived Tuesday at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s “Steel Across America” tour. (Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
The 16,900-pound beam will then head to the nation’s capital, where it will be featured at a private event on Friday. It will then head to New York City for another private event in Brooklyn on Sept. 11, before a final appearance at the New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys game at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 13.
The beam visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Monday, where the superintendent, Lt. Gen. James B. Bartholomees III, said the piece of steel connects the courage shown by first responders on 9/11 with the Americans who answered the call to serve in the years that followed.
“As we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, this piece of steel reminds us of the courage of first responders like Stephen Siller and the countless Americans who answered the call in the years that followed, including generations of West Point graduates,” Bartholomees said. “Today, young men and women continue that legacy of service, guided by duty, honor country.”
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First responders gather around a 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower at West Point. (Jason Thiele Fotografik Memories/Courtesy Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
The ceremony brought together cadets, faculty, staff and guests and opened with a color guard and pipe and drum procession by members of the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police Department. The program also included the national anthem, an invocation and blessing of the steel, and a moment of reflection accompanied by “Amazing Grace.”
Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of Tunnel to Towers and the brother of fallen FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, recalled his brother’s final actions on Sept. 11.
Army personnel and Frank Siller view a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower during its stop at West Point. (Jason Thiele Fotografik Memories/Courtesy Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
“Twenty-five years ago, my brother Stephen strapped on 60 pounds of gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel toward danger, duty and the people who needed him inside those towers,” Siller said.
“Duty, honor, country: Those values connect West Point cadets, Stephen and first responders all across this country,” he continued. “We are grateful to West Point for welcoming us, and we leave more committed than ever to making sure the sacrifice of Sept. 11 is never forgotten.”