Revealing behind the scenes details of the thrilling drama, “Homeland,” Tony Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin and show creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon spoke last night to a packed auditorium at the 9/11 Museum.

The speakers emphasized that extensive research is behind the success of the show, which balances entertainment with its realistic portrayal of a post-9/11 world steeped in espionage and terrorism. “Homeland” writers routinely travel to Washington, D.C. to interview intelligence officers, White House staffers and journalists to understand hot-button issues surrounding counter-terrorism efforts.

The “Homeland” creators first traveled to Washington, D.C. for research before the show premiered in October 2011.

“A lot of intelligence officers give us grief on how much we get wrong, but they are very kind when they say we get the spirit of these people correct,” Gansa said. “And the spirit is that they are incredibly patriotic and that they really do want to keep us from getting hit again.”

Patinkin was in New York on 9/11 but he had not returned to the site of the attacks until he toured the 9/11 Memorial Museum before the program. He was struck by the exhibition space, which brought back memories of how New York, and the world, came together after the attacks.

“My wonderment as I walk through this museum and relive these memories is does it take an event like this to bring us together?” he asked. “And if that’s what it takes, then we have some distance to go as a people.”

“Homeland” will return to Showtime for a sixth season on Jan. 15, 2017. To learn more about upcoming public programs at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, visit our website here.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

UPDATE: Clip from Homeland: TV in the Post-9/11 World

Terence Hatton, the captain of FDNY’s elite Rescue Company 1, was nicknamed "Capt. Man-Hatton" for his insistence on learning the borough’s buildings inside and out. It was with this disciplined mindset that he led a group of 10 members of the company up the stairs of the North Tower on the morning of Sept. 11. Today, a white rose at the 9/11 Memorial marks what would have been his 56th birthday.

Hatton was described as the “ultimate firefighter.” His best friend and fellow firefighter, Tim Brown, describes his uncompromising commitment to technique that gave him a reputation in the department as straight-laced. “I had so much respect for him, in that he would always, always, always, do the right thing,” said Brown.

This professional drive propelled him through the ranks in the department. As one of the FDNY’s most decorated members, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani joked, “I think we ran out of medals.” 

In addition to the FDNY, Hatton’s great love was his wife, Elizabeth Petrone Hatton who he married in 1998. As Giuliani’s long-term executive assistant, Beth was by the mayor’s side that day when she learned her husband was in the North Tower when it collapsed. The next day, she learned that she was pregnant with their first child. She named the little girl Terri after her father.

By Jenny Pachucki, 9/11 Memorial Content Strategist 

An idea from a volunteer in 2013 has become another way for visitors to learn about the victims, share their experience and connect. Before opening to the public, 9/11 Memorial Museum staff places a white rose at the name of each victim who has a birthday that day.

Inscribed on the 9/11 Memorial are the names of the 2,983 victims of the 1993 and 2001 attacks. Every morning a staff member checks a binder located in the 9/11 Memorial Museum that has each name and birthday listed chronologically. A white rose is cut two inches below the leaves and then placed at the name on the parapet.

Museum volunteer and 9/11 survivor, George Mironis requests this responsibility on the days he works. He even comes in on days he’s scheduled to be off to place the roses. For him, it’s a way to honor the friends and co-workers he lost 15 years ago.

There is at least one birthday for every day of the year and often more than one a day. Mikey “Flowers” Collarone of FloraTech, a downtown florist and former emergency medical technician that responded to 9/11, hand selects the roses from a local flower market and donates them to the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Two New York athletes battled the late summer heat to participate in a 75-mile expedition to raise money for the children of 9/11 victims.

Long-distance runner Eva Casale and former Air Force veteran Michael Roesch traveled from Manhasset, NY to the 9/11 Memorial on Sunday, laying wreaths at memorials in Long island, Brooklyn and Staten Island along the way.

The 75-mile trek, dubbed the “Footsteps for 15,” took place to honor the memory of the victims of Sept. 11 and to raise funds for Tuesday’s Children. The athletes raised $4,000 for the charity which “supports youth, families, and communities impacted by terrorism and traumatic loss,” according to their website.

Casale ran the 75-mile course to downtown Manhattan while her counterpart, Roesch, rode a hand-pedaled bicycle.

“The first responders — firefighters and (the) police department and EMTs — were the first ones in the war against terrorism, and for me it’s important not to forget that,” Roesch told the New York Daily News.

“Just seeing all those that were lost and keeping that in our hearts was keeping us going,” Casale told the Daily News.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The creators of the award-winning TV series “Homeland,” Hall of Famer Joe Torre and CIA Director John Brennan headline public programs this fall at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

The museum’s ongoing public programs cover an array of topics, including global security, foreign policy and the effect 9/11 continues to have on pop culture. The complete fall lineup includes slam poetry exploring 9/11 themes through American Sign Language and a program on how artists responded to the terror strikes. The latter is connected to the Sept. 12 opening of the special exhibition titled “Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11.”

The season begins Sept. 21 with “Joe Torre: Baseball after 9/11.” Torre, Major League Baseball’s chief baseball officer and Hall of Famer, will talk about getting the New York Yankees back on the field after 9/11 and the role baseball played in helping America recover.

Programs are free to the public, but registration is required. Learn more and register here.

Last season, programs at the museum included talks with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, who in 1998 for ABC News interviewed Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

As a family member of a firefighter who lost his life on 9/11, I've had close ties with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and have seen the outstanding effort put forth by each employee and volunteer to make every visitor comfortable with being in such a sensitive place.

Wanting to give that experience to visitors I encounter, I felt encouraged to volunteer this summer. I heard about the opportunity through a friend and immediately signed up.

I've experienced nothing but warmth and compassion at the memorial and museum, from wonderful coworkers to enthusiastic visitors. Each person was eager to learn something new each day, whether about 9/11 or about another person. The caring attitude starts immediately at the morning meeting and is spread to each visitor.

Of the many experiences I've had volunteering, my favorite has been when a man walked up to me and started sharing his story. The trust that this man put in me simply because I wore a blue volunteer vest felt incredible. The events of his day 15 years ago were fresh in his mind as if it occurred that morning. Seeing the emotions flow with every word, showed me the effect that 9/11 had on not only New Yorkers, but the world. I hope everyone can experience the same satisfaction from such a rare opportunity.

I attend The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. and am approaching my senior year. Moving to the south has taught me that more than just New York was affected by the attacks.

The experience I've had at the memorial and museum has made me more ambitious for my future of working with charities and hopefully running my own business. I learned many lessons in the time I've volunteered and hope to use those in my future to allow me to become more experienced and successful as I attempt to run a business and help those in need.

I highly recommend this program to all high school students that are eager to learn more about the culture of New York by helping others.

By Rose Fay, 9/11 Memorial and Museum Volunteer