Country singer Darryl Worley released a song, "Have You Forgotten?" in 2003 which became a number one song on the country charts. Today, September 11, 2026, is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the attack on our country. In New York, Washington D.C., and Somerset County, Pennsylvania about 3,000 people lost their lives that day.
There are times in each person's life that are unforgettable: weddings, births, new houses, new cars or new jobs or promotions. On the other side, there are the difficult days that we wish we could forget.
Three years ago, I blogged about this day with pictures and stories from two scrapbooks I made with my 11-year old daughter about this day and the days and weeks following it. The time I spent with her working on it was special and each 9-11 I spend 30-60 minutes going through each page of those scrapbooks to remember what happened.
Tuesday, September 11th is one of those days that millions of people wish they could forget. On this day and the following days in 2001, there were so many amazing things that happened that we should always remember them too. The number of heroes are impossible to mention, but on 9-11 remember some of these stories and people:
Some of the best known heroes were police, firemen, rescue personnel, and the passengers of Flight 93 who fought back and stopped their plane from killing more people in Washington, DC. Some of those passengers names are well known, Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett and flight attendant Sandy Bradshaw.
Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, lost 658 employees that day and donated 25% of their profits directly to those families, over $180 million dollars. He also promised jobs to any child who lost a parent and more than 50 of them have been hired over the years.
Victoria Cross Kelly, the Deputy director of the Path train system, stopped the trains from entering the World Trade Center and is credited with saving 3,000 to 5,000 people that morning.
Elevator mechanic, Chuck Costello Jr, 46, of New Jersey had four kids. A couple blocks away from the attack, the Navy veteran ran towards the building because he knew his experience would be helpful. He worked with rescue personnel to get people out of elevators and survivors referred to him as, "The elevator man." His body was found several months later.
Welles Crowther was 24 years old and he worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower. He tied a red bandanna around his face that many survivors will never forget. Known as "The man with the red bandana," he was a volunteer firefighter and he took charge and gave people instructions. He found a staircase and kept carrying people and led two groups to safety, but he never made it home.
Amy Sweeney, 35, was a flight attendant going from Boston to Los Angeles that day. She immediately started talking with personnel on the ground when the hijacking took place. For twelve minutes she gave detailed information and seat numbers of the hijackers. Fellow flight attendant Betty Ong was doing the same thing and providing invaluable information to authorities on the ground. Their last moments was Amy communicating that something was wrong and the plane was too low.
Rick Rescorla was born in the UK and served in the British Army and in Vietnam. He was a security guard and became Vice President of Security for Morgan Stanley in the South Tower in 2001. After the attack in the World Trade Center in 1993, he warned people that the next attack would be in the air. He ran so many evacuation drills people complained about him. On the morning of 9-11 he ignored the announcement for people to stay at their desks and he's credited with leading almost 2,700 employees to their safety. How did he do it? He had a bullhorn and he sang Cornish and Welsh songs to keep the line moving. He made one last sweep to make sure no one was left behind. Unfortunately, he was the one left behind, but he will always be remembered by thousands of survivors and their families.
One of the most incredible stories was the 500,000 people who were evacuated from Manhattan by boat in nine hours. About one hundred fifty ships of all kinds picked people up and helped get them home. It is the largest maritime evacuation in history.
Lastly, every story about 9-11 should include the incredible people in Gander, Newfoundland. When United States airspace was closed on that September day, thirty-eight jetliners heading to The United States were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. (A total of 250 were diverted to Canada) With a total population of 9,600, the people of Gander took care of over 7,000 stranded passengers for four to five days. The passengers started a foundation for scholarships for their kids and to date has raised over $1 million dollars to thank them for their generosity. The award-winning book, "The Day The World Came To Town" by Jim Defede is an amazing book to read.
The key chain below I bought at the gift shop at Ground Zero in Manhattan and my keys are on it. I always tell people when you go to New York you need to visit Ground Zero and always remember the whole story of 9-11.
