09/11/2026
• 25 YEARS. 343 HEROES. NEVER FORGOTTEN •
September 11, 2001 began like any other Tuesday morning.
Firefighters reported for duty. Families said goodbye. Firehouses began another shift.
What followed that morning would forever change the fire service, our nation, and countless families.
8:46 a.m. — American Airlines Flight 11 strikes the North Tower of the World Trade Center
8:50 a.m. — FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer, responding blocks away to a reported gas leak, arrives on scene with Engine 7 and Ladder 1, establishing command
9:03 a.m. — United Airlines Flight 175 strikes the South Tower
9:29 a.m. — FDNY orders a total recall, calling all off-duty members to report for duty
9:59 a.m. — The South Tower collapses
10:28 a.m. — The North Tower collapses
In just 102 minutes, our nation and the fire service was forever changed.
That morning, 343 members of the FDNY made the ultimate sacrifice.
But 343 is more than a number.
Behind every number was a name. A life. A family. Someone who walked into a firehouse that morning expecting to walk back out at the end of their shift. They were fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, friends, and fellow firefighters. They had families waiting at home, plans for tomorrow, and lives that extended far beyond the uniform they wore.
Yet, while thousands of people were desperately trying to make their way down those towers, they went up.
Floor after floor. Carrying the weight of their gear. Helping strangers find their way out. Continuing upward toward people who still needed them.
They answered the call. They went in.
And 343 of them never came home.
25 years later, we remember not only how they died, but how they lived; in service to others. We remember their courage, their selflessness, and the brotherhood that carried them up those stairs.
Today, we hold especially close the families who have carried their absence for 25 years. The spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, and fellow firefighters whose lives were forever changed that morning.
343 firefighters.
343 lives.
1 nation forever changed.
May we continue to say their names, tell their stories, and honor the sacrifice they made.
September 11, 2001.
We will never forget. 🇺🇸
#343
