Like so many of us, the morning of September 11 began like any other for Daniel Jost. He was a New York City teacher on Staten Island and school was just starting for the day when the assistant principal came into his classroom. He was told to not show any emotion, but a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center.  

Knowing that his students had many connections to first responders and others at the World Trade Center, Dan understood the importance of maintaining a calm presence amidst the chaos and confusion of what was unfolding. As he helped get students out of school and reunited with parents and guardians throughout the day, he received a message from his eldest son, Colin, that read, “Is mom okay?”  

Dan’s mind immediately shifted to his wife, Dr. Kerry Kelly, the Chief Medical Officer for the FDNY. 

A 20-year veteran of the department at the time, Dr. Kelly was attending to patients at her private medical practice when she learned about the attacks at the World Trade Center. She ran to her car and immediately left Staten Island to respond to the site. When she emerged from her car in lower Manhattan, she was stunned by the stark contrast between the sunny, summer day she had left and the dark, dust filled sky that now surrounded her. Dr. Kelly began to aid injured firefighters while simultaneously trying to communicate with other emergency personnel. She survived the collapse of both towers and continued to do her job during unimaginable circumstances, setting up triage centers, first in a nearby parking garage, and later at Pace University to help any wounded survivors. 

Dan hadn't immediately realized his wife was at the World Trade Center; she was scheduled to be in her office that day. However, he began to wonder after receiving his son’s message. It wasn’t until the next day that he learned the full extent of her harrowing experience and began joining her on regular trips to Ground Zero. 

Dr. Kelly played an essential role in formulating the department’s response to the attacks and Dan had a key part in helping his students navigate the aftermath of the attacks, which, in many cases, turned their worlds upside down. While difficult, Dan remembers that it was critical to provide his students with support outside of their homes.  

In the years after 9/11, Dr. Kelly continued as Chief Medical Officer for the FDNY. Through her work, she became a leading advocate for 9/11-related physical and mental health effects. Firefighters describe her as someone they could depend on and knew would support them through the highest highs and lowest lows of their careers, and the feeling is mutual – Dr. Kelly often refers to the fire department as a second family. 

Just as Dr. Kelly was there for “her” firefighters, Dan and their sons were an incredibly important support system throughout her career, especially after 9/11. In her nightstand, she keeps a note of encouragement and love her youngest son, Casey, wrote to her in the weeks after 9/11. In it he writes, “The city doesn't know how lucky it is to have someone like you on their side.”  

He also reassured his mom that he would “hold down the fort” at home, and that he, his father, and brother know how “incredibly lucky” they were that she was safe.  

In October 2001, in her first “day off” since the attacks, Dr. Kelly drove up to for a surprise visit with Colin. After greeting her, Colin asked what had inspired her to make the trip.

“I just needed a hug,” she said.  

This September, participants around the world can see Dr. Kelly and Mr. Jost share their stories, in their own words, as a part of the 2023 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience program. Register for this free program today. 

By Meghan Kolbusch, Education Specialist 

Where were you on 9/11? 
The morning started just like you will hear everybody else who is a survivor or responder say, as a beautiful late summer day. It was a strikingly beautiful day: blue, blue skies without a cloud in sight and the perfect temperature. It was so beautiful. I remember grabbing my morning coffee to sit outside for a few minutes just to take it all in.   

I was back in my office for 20 or 30 minutes before an officer who worked with us at the academy ran in and asked, “What’s going on at the World Trade Center? Someone called for every available ambulance to respond.”  We started making some phone calls, but nobody picked up. We turned on the TV and see the smoke billowing out of the building. The newscaster said a plane accidentally flew into the tower. This was confusing, because it was such a clear day and it seemed impossible to not see these huge buildings.

As we continued to watch, we saw the second plane hit the other tower. We knew in that moment we would mobilize the academy to respond, just like we did in 1993, but on a larger scale. When we mobilized the academy, we got every vehicle we had, including all ambulances. We also commandeered two MTA buses. All of us — every staff member and student — got on those vehicles. The first tower collapsed while we were en route to Manhattan.

While on the buses, we were monitoring the radios from the scene. We were listening to responders who were trapped. We also heard the dispatcher do a roll call to get anyone with a radio at the scene to answer. Nobody answered. Eventually, it was a chief who was making his way to the World Trade Center on foot from Brooklyn who responded on the radio. It was a sobering moment. We believed everyone was dead.

We finally got into lower Manhattan, and as we were turning onto West Street by Stuyvesant High School, the second tower came crashing down and engulfed us. At the time, we thought there would be hundreds, if not thousands, of patients. We started to set up a war triage center. Within an hour or two, you could tell there weren’t many people to transport to hospitals. Those who were able to self-evacuate did so. We spent the rest of the day and night at the site. There were times we got so tired, we were just sitting in the ash, which was at least a foot deep. At the time, we knew it wasn’t safe. We knew it was a hazardous materials scene, but there wasn’t much you could do about it.

What role did you play in the rescue and recovery efforts? 
We decided right away that the EMS academy was going to assist the effort. We mobilized a group of different instructors who were each assigned a partner and a different area of the pile. Using gators, we would drive them as far into the pile as we could get. We would remove any remains found and bring them to the on-site temporary morgue. We did that every day in September. I spent the month by Engine 10, Ladder 10, with my partner.

For the first couple of days, we really thought we were going to find people. We thought as debris was being moved, we would find people in these pockets. It was a short-lived belief. First, we realized there was nothing recognizable in this pile of debris. These were two huge buildings of office space and there were no desks, chairs, file cabinets, or phones. There was nothing that would make you think this was once all office space. The other thing we realized was that as debris was moved, and as the area was exposed to oxygen, fires would ignite. With all that burning underneath, there couldn’t possibly be people who survived.

Do you have any health issues related to your time at Ground Zero? 
In October 2001, I start to have this chronic cough, which I referred to as my "Ground Zero cough." Many people would say, “Don’t say that.” Then other people started coughing, too. That was the first indication that we had had some significant exposures and connected health issues.

In January of 2002, I reported to FDNY headquarters for my annual medical. This time, it was different. Dr. Kelly, who was the Chief Medical Officer for the FDNY, made sure everyone signed up for a World Trade Center health monitoring program. We signed a lot of consent forms so they could do research and studies, and they did baseline exams that could be used to compare as the years went by.

There are many people who have gotten sick for their time at Ground Zero, I am one of them. I am a 9/11 cancer survivor. In 2019, I was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. It is one of the reproductive system cancers classified by the WTC Health Program as a 9/11 cancer. However, it wasn’t classified until late 2013. Since there was less representation of women in the roles of first responders, it took a longer amount of time to study the group to see if they were having a higher incidence of illness than the general population.

Why is it so important that future generations learn the story of 9/11?
When I was on the pile, I was walking with my partner, Jimmy, and we were waiting for someone to be found. We were taking in the entire scene, and I turned to Jimmy and said, "I get what it means to say 'Never Forget'. This is what they mean. I get what it means when the WWII vets say 'Never Forget'."

When I think about it, the idea of talking about this is difficult for me, however, I feel a sense of duty and a sense of responsibility. That’s what "Never Forget" means to me. Making sure the story doesn’t die with the people.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
My whole world is defined by pre-9/11 and post 9/11. My new world is defined by COVID. No one could have told me early on that my career would include pandemics and terrorist attacks, plus the everyday responsibilities of helping in weather related emergencies, people in cardiac arrest, victims of crime, and so on.  

Also, if there is nothing else that I’ve learned from this experience, I’ve learned about the emotional toll of being a first responder and prioritizing mental health. I learned the key to success, particularly for a long-term career as an EMT, is resilience. That’s not a skill that can be taught. Instructors can tell you why it’s important, but we can’t teach you how to develop that. Resiliency is being able to take in these experiences and still be able to function, whole, healthy, and useful.

My advice is to always be a student. I’m still learning. As long as you’re still learning, you’re still growing.

Compiled by Caitlyn Best, Government and Community Affairs Coordinator 

Upon witnessing the start of the attack on the World Trade Center from his home, Paddy rushed to his headquarters. He and his fellow officers reached the site after the North Tower collapsed. Later that evening Paddy, along with fellow ESU police officer Scott Strauss and civilian paramedic Chuck Sereika, began the dangerous process of rescuing trapped Port Authority Police Officer Will Jimeno and Sargent John McLoughlin. As they worked, Paddy started referring to John as “Irish Eyes,” in reference to their shared Celtic roots, to keep him conscious as they continued their rescue efforts.

Paddy served as a member of the NYPD ESU until his retirement, earning the NYPD’s Medal of Honor alongside Strauss for their efforts to rescue Jimeno and McLoughlin. As Paddy remembers his service to the city, he also remains inspired by those he worked alongside, many of whom he can remember by name. Years later, Paddy’s career would in turn inspire a member of the next generation, his son Patrick McGee Jr. Known to most as “Pat,” he joined the Port Authority Police Department in January 2023.

Pat, who was only two years old on that day in 2001, grew up attending ceremonies honoring his father's work on 9/11 and being told by many that his father was a hero. As he got older, he began to understand what had occurred on 9/11 and how important it was to honor and remember the sacrifices of first responders. As time moved forward, Pat decided, after finishing college, that he wanted to pursue a career in public service and joined the Port Authority Police Department.

As a new officer of the PAPD, Pat McGee wears Shield number 1117, the same number as now retired Officer Will Jimeno, whom his father helped rescue 22 years earlier.

While Paddy is proud of his son for the path he has chosen, he is particularly proud that his son found his own path to a life as a first responder, just as he did all those years ago in a neighborhood in Queens.

This September, participants around the world can see Paddy and Pat McGee share their stories, in their own words, as a part of the 2023 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience program. Register today.

By Meghan Kolbusch, Education Specialist

When did you start working at the World Trade Center? 
I was an employee of the Port Authority for 38 and a half years. When I started in July of 1969 the World Trade Center was under construction. I was hired as a junior stenographer and assigned to the World Trade Department, which I never left. I worked for people in the real estate division, who were working with prospective tenants. In January of 1970, I was promoted to secretary. One of the men I worked for was asked to lead the information center at the World Trade Center, and I went to work with him. In March of 1971, we moved to the 33rd floor of 1 World Trade Center.

When we moved into 1 World Trade Center, it was built, but the interior was still being finished. The original intent was that all floors would be full-floor tenants. It was geared to importers and exporters because a certain portion of their business had to be devoted to world trade in order to meet the criteria to move in. The entire complex was dedicated in 1973. It was a great place to work. When the towers were done, I was so proud of the fact that I worked in them. From 1969 to 1981, I climbed up the clerical ranks, went to college on weeknights and on the weekends and then entered and climbed up the management ranks. Each tenant had a team of two people, one was the real estate liaison, handling all aspects of their lease, and the other was the liaison for all issues related to World Trade Center operations — maintenance, communications, among other things. I was one of the operations liaisons for the complex.

Where were you on the day of each attack?
On February 26,1993, I was on the 35th floor of 1 World Trade. At 12:18 p.m., when the bomb went off, the building shook. We all thought it was a transformer. Each floor had a fire safety team and our floor warden told everyone to start going down the stairs, which we did. I didn’t know it at the time, but the smell in the stairwell was the tires burning. It was horrible. I’m claustrophobic, so I got down to the 20th floor before I had to get out of the stairwell. I went into a conference room, which was filled with Port Authority and other personnel, and waited until the fire department came and took us down the stairs. When I got downstairs, everyone was covered in black soot. I was directed to the plaza, and I found someone I knew. He told me it was a bomb. I asked if he was sure and he said, “I was in Vietnam, I know that smell.” Afterwards, a lot of people went home, but I was in tenant services, and I had a job to do. I left that night at about 10:30 p.m.

An hour and a half before this happened, I had been meeting with a tenant in 2 World Trade Center, who had certain issues that needed to be addressed. From his office, I took the elevators down to the B2 level in 2 World Trade Center and walked across the parking lot into B2 of 1 World Trade, the exact spot where the bomb detonated. Many people have asked me if I saw a van there and I just don’t remember.

On 9/11, I was general property manager of 1 World Trade Center. I was on the 21st floor and I arrived to work at 7 a.m. I had a staff meeting every Tuesday at 8:30. I was sitting in the conference room waiting for everyone and when the building was hit, I just knew it was a plane. We were on the north side of the floor and as we looked out the window and we saw all this glass coming down. My secretary at the time, who was also there on February 26th of 1993, hadn’t even taken off her sneakers yet and she just took off. She made it down the stairs without passing anybody. I was the civilian incident liaison, so I knew I had to get down to the fire command center right away. I grabbed my radio and ID and went downstairs. I got down to the 11th floor and the claustrophobia kicked in. I got off at the 11th floor with several other people I worked with, and I had to catch my breath. I said, “I can’t do it, I can’t do it.” My coworkers said, “Just take your time.” I said, “I don’t have a good feeling about this, let’s keep going.”  

I got down to the lobby and I had no idea where the plane had come in, nor did I know that 2 World Trade Center had been hit. When the Chief Operating Officer for the Port Authority saw me, he told me I had to get out. After going back and forth with him about my responsibility, I went to the hotel, and attempted to set up a command center in the lobby until an NYPD officer told us to leave. We were on the corner of West Street and Thames, when suddenly, there was a loud roar and a woman standing there yelled, “It’s a third plane.” Everyone started to run. It was the 2 World Trade Center starting to come down. As we ran, I lost everyone I was with except for my friend, Bob. You couldn’t see anything. We just kept walking until we got to Chinatown. That’s when someone told us that the towers were gone, and we turned around and saw all the dust and debris in the air. Bob had a doctor in Chinatown, so we went there to clean all the dust from our faces. Then we walked to the Holland Tunnel.

What role did you play in the rescue and recovery efforts after each attack?
1993: The next day, I was back at work. The tenants wanted to go back. We worked a lot of hours, a lot of overtime. We worked with the restoration company to make sure we got everything cleaned as quickly as we possibly could. We coordinated all the move-ins, starting with Fuji Bank and New York State. By the sixth week, we put together a move back team and they’d start at 10 o’clock at night. We worked very closely with our tenants. Part of the move back nights were putting a mug on everyone’s desk that said, "Welcome Back." We tried to make it as comforting as possible because people were afraid.   

9/11: On September 12th, I went to my son’s house because I had to print the most up to date list of the tenants. That list included the tenant’s name, the contact name, phone number, office phone, cell phone, home phone, everything. The official role I had was part of a team to notify the World Trade Department families when someone was identified. There were about six of us that worked and rotated. We worked, at minimum, 12-hour shifts. I was getting calls from families who were missing someone and people I worked with asking, “What can I do, when can I get back to work?”

In the months following 9/11, two Port Authority detectives were assigned to Fresh Kills to gather items that were either part of the WTC itself or belonging to the Port Authority people who survived. I was the signatory for those items. When I would get them, if I could send them to the owner, I would. If I couldn’t find them, I kept them. (Nancy has since donated, to the Museum, any Items that could not be reunited with their owners.)

Sometimes it feels like it happened yesterday. Sometimes it feels like it happened in another life. Sometimes it feels like it happened to somebody else. The aftereffects never go away. These stories need to be told. These were innocent people. 

**********

Nancy met her husband, Chuck Seliga, during her time at the Port Authority. On 9/11, Chuck was the President and CEO of Stewart Airport in upstate New York, where several planes bound for New York City airports were diverted. In 2009, Chuck recalled meeting Nancy early on in their careers working in the World Trade Center.

"She was working, I think at the World Trade Institute at the time, which was on a different floor from my office. There was a conference dinner being held uptown that my boss was attending. While I was there setting up, she was also there setting up for someone else. When everyone else went to dinner, the two of us weren’t invited, so I said, ‘Are you hungry?’ and we went out to dinner. I didn’t see her [again] until six months later. We ran into each other and we went to dinner. Even though we worked in the same building, on different floors, we met at that conference uptown.”

Chuck Seliga passed away on May 20, 2022 at his home in Monroe, NY. He was 79 years old. He and Nancy had been married for more than 40 years.

Compiled by Caitlyn Best, Government and Community Affairs Coordinator 

Where were you on 9/11? 
I was at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Washington Heights when I found out that the World Trade Center was attacked. I procured a cab, which took me down to about West 70th Street. That was as far as we could go, and I started walking. I realized I was the only person walking south on Broadway. Everyone else was walking north to escape the terror and the tragedy that occurred earlier that morning. 

When I got down to St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street, I went into my office. I realized that my phone, my private line, was the only one working in the building. I let all the people who were lost, looking for loved ones, confused, and scared use it to call their loved ones. We gave out water, and we let them sit in the church to relax. 

After a while, I decided to get some holy water and go down to the World Trade Center to see what I could do to be of assistance. Around 1 pm, one of my other fellow Franciscans informed me that my good friend, mentor, and fellow Franciscan Father Mychal Judge, was killed at the World Trade Center. At the time, he was serving as a chaplain to the FDNY. I had to decide whether to feel sorry for myself or do what Mychal would want me to do. So I walked all the way down to the site. I recognized a couple of the police officers and they let me go in to start blessing bodies. I did that for a good part of the day before I went back to the friary.  

What role, if any, did you play in the rescue, recovery, and relief efforts? 
The following day, I went down with a group of firefighters. We were going through the debris and found a couple of firetrucks that were destroyed. 

A few days later, on September 16, I said my first Mass at Ground Zero. The following week, I said Mass again. I met Frank Silecchia, a construction worker from Local 731. He asked me if I wanted to "see God’s house.’" I looked at him and said, “God’s house is right there. St. Peter’s Church is right nearby.” He said, “No, the real house.” I followed him and went into what was 6 World Trade Center. He said, “Look down below, Father.” Right there, I saw for the first time the famous cross at Ground Zero. I realized that God was right there. 

Working with the mayor’s office, we agreed the cross needed to be saved. On October 4, we had a blessing ceremony. Uncoincidentally, October 4 is the Feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. St. Francis is very much a figure of interfaith. People are very devoted to him because of his great devotion to nature and animals. Since we were standing alongside Mother Earth on sacred ground, I thought that was a befitting day to bless the cross. 

The cross was excavated and put on top of a concrete abutment on the corner of Vesey and West Streets. At the blessing ceremony, there was representation of all those from the site: a police officer, firefighter, Port Authority officers, and members of the building construction trades. At least 300-400 people were in attendance. It gave a boost of energy to the people at the time. 

On Sunday, October 7, we held our first Mass by the cross, and continued to do so every Sunday morning thereafter, until February when the cross was moved to a new location in lower Manhattan. [Father Jordan continued to deliver Mass at Ground Zero throughout the rescue and recovery effort.]

Can you describe the bond between yourself and other recovery workers? How has this community impacted you?
People from all faith traditions were welcome to Mass. Everyone was invited. This was the worst tragedy in the history of the city and the history of the continental United States. I was there to invite people to come together— not to divide us, to unify us. We did indeed come together. 

I thought the bucket brigade was one of the greatest sights I saw of humanity. All different groups pitched in and moved the buckets. I tried to do it, but I realized after 20 minutes that it was too heavy. I was a priest, not a construction worker. I was proud of all those people that were there. They were all volunteers; these weren’t just paid workers. After a while, they wanted paid workers there. It was a privilege to be able to serve among those men and women. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

Watching U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan in August 2021 inspired Bryan Stern — a veteran and rescue and recovery worker— to found Project Dynamo, which evacuates Americans and our allies overseas. With December upon us, we're closing out Salute to Service with one more special installment of our "In Their Own Voices" series. Here, Stern talks about the role he played on 9/11, the clean-up at Ground Zero, and his years in the military as a counterinsurgency and intelligence operative. Today and always, we are thankful to all those who serve the country in the military. 

Where were you on 9/11?
I was working for the U.S. Army with counter-intelligence support to counter-narcotics, and we had offices in 6 and 7 World Trade. When I came out of the train station that morning,  there was a burning hole in the North Tower. I immediately thought, “This was no accident.” I started calling the office to find people, but the lines were busy. I was occupied trying to reach others and didn’t even see the second plane hit, but I heard people screaming and then the huge explosion. I swear, I could feel the heat of the building on me. I knew in that moment that the world was going to be different.

What role did you play in the rescue and recovery efforts? 
As the South Tower started to come down, I took coverage between two vehicles. I thought, "A hundred and ten stories coming screeching to the floor, I don’t have a chance." I never heard anything like it. It was like a movie. It was this larger-than-life cloud, chasing me. It looked like I would get hit in the head and that’d be the end. All I hoped was that it would be quick.

I waited for it to end. Then I got up and checked myself. I had all my fingers and all my toes; I was bleeding a little — cut up with scratches, but I didn’t have any puncture wounds. I wasn’t breathing well, so I put my face into my shirt because I thought that would be better than nothing to protect myself from the dust.

I would spend the next four days straight at Ground Zero, then return soon after and stay for weeks. My priority was to find people who might still be alive.

We weren’t wearing respirators, but we should’ve. We got some eventually. Before that, some people were wearing painters masks. Some tried wearing paper masks, but when you started to breathe, they would quickly get covered in dust.

I never found anyone alive during my time at Ground Zero. I was very optimistic for those first four days. I remember desperately wanting to find someone alive, but when that didn’t happen, I began thinking it'd be great if I just found someone to return to their family. That would have been a blessing at that point. 

What role did you play in the rescue, recovery, and relief efforts?
I responded to the site to provide medical assistance to FDNY members as needed. One company flagged me down to help with a severely injured member who had been hit by falling debris from the South Tower. We got him in an ambulance to go to the hospital. Shortly after that the South Tower fell. With the help of other fire department members, we were able to get people to the Hudson River, where police boats were taking injured people to New Jersey.

When the North Tower came down the visibility worsened. I met up with my colleague Dr. [David] Prezant at Bowling Green and then headed up Broadway to set up a medical triage center near City Hall. Our efforts continued from that day on, trying to establish who had died, searching for FDNY members in the hospital, and trying to ensure the workforce had adequate protection and address the health consequences of the exposures of that day and in the days that followed. The establishment of the FDNY WTC Health Program began that day in the ashes, and the program continues as we pledged to never forget.

Can you describe the bond between yourself and other recovery workers?
I feel a very tangible bond with those who worked at that site. I am a third generation FDNY member who had 20 years of service at the time of 9/11. First responders place their lives on the line each time they answer a call. We mourned as a family those we lost that day, with the rescue and recovery efforts continuing for many months. That bond continues to this day in my work with the cancer care arm of the FDNY WTC Health Program.

What does May 30 mean to you?
On one level, this day marks the closure of the site where so many perished. But like any battleground, it still holds the memories of that fateful day, of those we lost, and of those heroic first responders who worked for months in rescue and recovery. It represents what evil can destroy and also what good faith can restore.

Do you have any health issues connected to your time at Ground Zero?
Yes, I am under treatment and get yearly monitoring with the FDNY WTC Health Program.

Why is it important to share your story and stories of others with the next generation?
This was an attack on a civilian population in the United States, with an unprecedented loss of life. Our sense of security was shattered. This is a story of overwhelming anguish and grief balanced by a spirit of resourcefulness to find those buried in the rubble, to remember who they were as individuals. The resolve to never forget remains. New York City came together with a spirit of community that was heartening. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum are critical in reminding us of the events of that day, an ordinary day in September that is an unforgettable memory for so many. Each generation should hear these stories.

Anything else you would like to add?
The story of 9/11 hasn't ended. It continues with the health issues that still affect those survivors and first responders subject to the toxic chemical mix at the WTC site. The stories of these individuals must be heard.

Compiled by Caitlyn Best, Government and Community Affairs Coordinator 

How did your father's time at Ground Zero affect his health? 
While my dad survived the day of 9/11, the toxic dust lingered over his shoulder for 16 years. In January 2017, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Six months later, he passed away. His cancer was directly linked to his exposure to the toxic chemicals present at Ground Zero.

For my dad, his diagnosis was unwelcome, but anticipated. For our family, however, it was a complete shock. He rarely talked with me and my brothers about 9/11 and his time at Ground Zero, so we had no idea. After his death, I needed to know more about the conditions at Ground Zero and what my dad could never bring himself to tell us. In searching for answers, I discovered tens of thousands of individuals who share my dad's fate — men and women who had been in lower Manhattan breathing in toxins, who are now suffering or have died from related illnesses. Once the magnitude and severity of the situation became apparent, I began to document it.

Tell us about the work you're doing to keep his legacy alive?
I now dedicate my life to telling this story. My documentary, DUST: The Lingering Legacy of 9/11, highlights the tragedy of people who relive 9/11 daily by living with its deadly legacy. While their lives were spared on 9/11, they now face a mounting health crisis. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing human toll of 9/11. As thousands continue to die, survivors are forced to fight political and legal battles for recognition and compensation.

What would you like to share with those born after 9/11? 
It is important for them to learn about the terrorist attacks beyond one day a year. We must also teach students about what happened after 9/11, including the nine-month rescue and recovery effort, and acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of people dealing with its health consequences. Recognizing these lingering effects and all those impacted is crucial to educating the next generation.  

Anything else you'd like to add? 
The documentary DUST reminds us that the impacts of the tragedy are still painfully present. While the 9/11 narrative has always focused on explaining what happened, DUST makes us consider what is happening now, what we've learned, and how we help those who are suffering. 

Compiled by Caitlyn Best, Government and Community Affairs Coordinator