I had the honor today of speaking with retired New York City Firefighters at the traveling 9/11 exhibit at the Home & Builders Show today.  They of course were on hand to educate people walking through the exhibit, and to pay tribute to their brothers who died on September 11th.  There is another reason they are there, however.  Danny, a retired firefighter, pulled me aside and wanted to make sure I knew about a hero named Stephen Siller.

Stephen Siller was a New York City Firefighter and he was on his way home after his shift on 9/11.  He heard the towers were hit, and he immediately turned around and went back to the fire station.  The trucks had already left.  Instead of going home, he took his person truck and went towards the Trade Center.   When he got to the tunnel, he was stopped as they closed traffic to the area.   He ran in full gear on foot for two miles until he reached the Trade Center.

He died that day when the towers fell.  His brothers now pay tribute to their younger brother with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.  It all started with a run where people would retrace Stephen Siller's steps to the Tower.  They've raised money for many groups, and now they are focused on helping our veterans who have been catastrophically injured in war.  They are building them smart homes, and it's a real great cause.

I really urge you to go to the 9/11 exhibit.  The chance to meet some firefighters who lived through that day is really a sobering experience.  As Danny told me as we were looking at photos of firefighters who gave their life, "I look at these pictures of my brothers from 15 years ago.  We're all getting older, but they'll always be the same age to us."

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