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A 21-foot steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center arrived at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Tuesday, bringing a physical piece of the Sept. 11 attacks to the institution that trained generations of Army officers who would go on to serve in the wars that followed.
The 16,900-pound beam was brought to West Point as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America tour, a nationwide commemoration marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Tuesday’s ceremony was the tour’s 33rd stop.
West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. James B. Bartholomees III said the 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.
“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.”
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The ceremony brought together cadets, faculty, staff and guests and opened with a color guard and Pipes & Drums 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.”
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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.
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“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 September 11 is never forgotten.”
According to Tunnel to Towers, Stephen Siller was off duty when the attacks began and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel carrying 60 pounds of gear toward the World Trade Center, where he died while responding to the attacks.
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The foundation created in his memory provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, builds specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, and works to address veteran homelessness.
For some of those gathered around the beam Tuesday, its arrival at West Point carried a personal connection between the first responders who rushed toward the towers and the service members who deployed overseas in the years that followed.
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Col. Dan Steuwe of the U.S. Army recalled an image that he said many soldiers in his platoon carried with them after 9/11 as they went overseas.
“There was a cartoon character that a lot of the soldiers in my platoon carried with us after 9-11 as we went overseas,” Steuwe said. “It was one of the firemen handing off the American flag to a service member coming out of the rubble of the towers.”
Steuwe described the image as another symbol of the unity between first responders and service members “serving something greater than ourselves and protecting this country.”
Kelly Heffner, who is listed by Tunnel to Towers along with her husband, Tom Heffner, as a supporter and corporate sponsor, became emotional after approaching the South Tower beam.
“To touch that beam, there’s an energy with it and it brings you back and it — you know that you can never forget,” Heffner said.
The artifact’s stop at West Point comes nearly 25 years after the attacks sent a generation of American service members to Afghanistan, Iraq and other theaters during the war on terror.
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Bartholomees later joined Siller to receive a commemorative steel flag on behalf of West Point. The custom-built piece features the New York City skyline and Twin Towers and incorporates World Trade Center steel. According to Tunnel to Towers, the flag is presented to people and institutions that have demonstrated a commitment to the foundation’s mission.
After the formal program, attendees were invited to approach the beam and spend time reflecting beside the steel.
The Steel Across America tour is scheduled to continue Thursday at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Boston.
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