The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity founded by the family of a fallen firefighter, continued its mission to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks on the 25th anniversary of the tragic event. On Friday, the foundation's chairman and CEO, Frank Siller, and his family members retraced the steps of Stephen Siller, a heroic firefighter who gave his life on 9/11.
Stephen Siller, a 34-year-old husband and father, had heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center on his personal scanner while on his way to play golf with his brothers. Despite the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel being closed to traffic, he strapped 60 pounds of firefighting gear to his back and ran through the tunnel on foot to get to the Twin Towers. He never returned.
The foundation's "Steel Across America" tour, which carried a steel beam from one of the Twin Towers across the country, concluded with the Siller family's trek through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The tour, which began four-and-a-half months ago, made nearly 40 stops in over 21 states, serving as a gathering place for communities to remember the events of 9/11.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was established by the Siller family, is dedicated to carrying out its mission to "do good" by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, and eradicating veteran homelessness. The foundation also offers full scholarships to the children of its home recipients to help secure their futures.
Stephen Siller Jr., who was just 9 months old when his father died, expressed his gratitude to the foundation for keeping his father's memory alive and for helping others in his name.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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