Women's History: The Living Legacy of 9/11

Women's History: The Living Legacy of 9/11

  • March 11, 2022
A smiling family - three sons, a daughter, and a mother - hold up a red sign with the name WILLIAM J GORMLEY on it in white letters
Courtesy Gormley family

In May 2019, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum dedicated a space on the southwest corner of the Plaza known as the Memorial Glade. This space honors the thousands of people who came to help in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and further recognizes those whose actions in our nation’s greatest time of need would lead to their injury, sickness, and death in the months and years to come.

Among those honored in this space are William “Billy” Gormley. On September 11, 2001, Billy – a firefighter with Engine 310/Ladder 174 of the FDNY – responded to the World Trade Center shortly after the collapse of the Twin Towers. Over the next few months, he would spend several hours a day assisting in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

A man in a firefighter's helmet and uniform stands, smiling, in front of a vertical American flag

Bridget Gormley's father, FDNY firefighter Bill Gormley 

While Billy’s daughter Bridget felt lucky that her father made it home safe that day, the consequences of his efforts wouldn’t be revealed until 2016, when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He died six months later, in June 2017.

“After my father died, there’s a feeling that [it’s] almost as if he died on 9/11, too,” Bridget shared in a New York Post article in 2018. “It just took 17 years to kill him.”

After her father’s death, Bridget became more aware of the extent to which health effects, like those her father suffered from, were impacting thousands of others who had faced dangerous exposures on and after 9/11. As a result, Bridget became a staunch advocate for the 9/11 community, lobbying in New York and Washington, D.C. for further coverage and compensation for those continuing to suffer from 9/11-related health effects.

In addition to her advocacy work on Capitol Hill, Bridget has also honored her father’s memory by directing a documentary film entitled “Dust: The Lingering Legacy of 9/11.” With the help of executive producer Steve Buscemi, an actor and former member of the FDNY who also volunteered at Ground Zero after 9/11, the documentary tells the story of those continuing to suffer from 9/11-related illnesses and sheds a light on the ongoing relevance of 9/11.

“While their lives were spared that day, they now face a mounting health crisis,” Bridget said in an interview with IrishCentral. “It serves as a reminder of the ongoing human toll of 9/11 – nearly two decades later.”

Bridget hopes that her work will help others understand the lasting consequences of 9/11.

“I want people to know people are still dying,” she mentioned in a previous interview. “Our fathers aren’t here to speak for themselves now, so we pick up the torch and carry it on. They weren’t the first, they won’t be the last.”

Beginning September 9, Bridget will share her story, along with three other speakers, as part of our seventh annual Anniversary in the Schools webinar. Register for this free program here.

This webinar is made possible in partnership with the New York Life Foundation.

By Meredith Ketchmark, Assistant Manager of Youth & Family Programs

Behind the Lens: Monolith and Memory

Behind the Lens: Monolith and Memory

  • January 28, 2022
Construction workers in neon yellow gear install a large stone monolith at the Memorial
Photo: Jin S. Lee

We're proud to relaunch our Behind the Lens series, in which Jin Lee, our Director of Photography and Videography, personally selects and shares special photos he's taken at the Memorial and Museum through the years.  

In 2019, Michael Arad (right), architect and designer of the 9/11 Memorial, watches over the installment of the one of six monoliths he designed for a new section of the glade that honors and remembers first responders who lost their lives after 9/11.

By Jin S. Lee, Director of Photography and Videography

July 4 at the 9/11 Memorial

July 4 at the 9/11 Memorial

A man in black shorts and a red top carries a large American flag as he places a smaller one alongside names on the 9/11 Memorial.
Photo by Monika Graff

Our annual July 4 tradition continues Sunday, when volunteers will place 2,983 American flags in the engraved names on the 9/11 Memorial, in honor of those killed on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. This year, volunteers from Team Red, White & Blue and Blue Star Families Craig Newmark Tri State Chapter, non-profits dedicated to helping veterans thrive and enriching their lives, will place the flags on the Memorial's bronze parapets. 

If you are visiting the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, you are welcome to leave tributes on the parapets, on the 9/11 Memorial Glade, and at the Survivor Tree. The 9/11 Memorial is open to the public, seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 9/11 Memorial Museum is open Thursday–Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more about planning your visit here

Just one year ago on Independence Day, the 9/11 Memorial reopened, ending a three-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Chairman Michael R. Bloomberg, along with other leaders and community members, welcomed back 9/11 families, frontline workers, and visitors.

“As we recognize our independence and honor our freedoms, and those who protect them, the opening of the 9/11 Memorial symbolizes how we as a country can endure, persevere, come together, and rebuild even after living through dark and uncertain times,” Bloomberg said. “The 9/11 Memorial is a beacon of hope as this city recovers from a health crisis, and it will provide inspiration to many around the world.”

Read more about the 2020 reopening here.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is a powerful symbol of our country’s resilience. It’s your generosity that makes our mission possible. Learn more on how you can support our mission.

By Nate Crystal, Government and Community Affairs Intern, 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Behind the Lens: A Visit to the Foundry

Behind the Lens: A Visit to the Foundry

In this photo, two metal workers melt 9/11 World Trade Center steel into hot liquid at a foundry while wearing red hardhats and metallic coverings.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Monett Foundry in Springfield, Missouri, to document and witness the melting of World Trade Center steel, which would later be reshaped and poured into the fissures on the 9/11 Memorial Glade’s monoliths. It was a proud and an emotional event for the members of crew involved in the project. It was especially emotional for the “melting manager,” whose birthday happens to fall on 9/11.

By Jin S. Lee, Director of Photography, 9/11 Memorial & Museum

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