A 21-foot steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center will make its way up the East Coast this week as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America tour.
The tour kicked off earlier this year as a way to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and celebrate American service members and first responders. The steel will stop in Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and New York City through Sept. 11.
Wednesday night’s stop will be at the Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners game at Fenway Park in Boston, before heading to the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial on Thursday.
AMERICA’S HEARTLAND COMES FACE-TO-FACE WITH 9/11 HISTORY AS 25TH ANNIVERSARY NEARS
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.
MASSIVE PIECE OF 9/11 HISTORY MAKES STUNNING 10,500-MILE JOURNEY ACROSS AMERICA
“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.”
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.
“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.”
