Running in tribute to a 9/11 hero

On Sept. 11, 2001, New York City firefighter Stephen Siller called his wife, Sarah, shortly after 8:46 a.m., when five Al Qaeda terrorists slammed American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

“Tell the boys I’ll be late for golf,” said Siller, of Staten Island, who spent half of his childhood in Rockville Centre. By “the boys,” the 34-year-old meant his older brothers, Russell, George and Frank. Siller told his wife that he loved her, and he was off, headed toward destiny.

At 9:03 a.m., another five Al Qaeda hijackers crashed United Flight 175 into the South Tower. As a nation, we were certain then that we were under attack.

The World Trade Center was set ablaze by massive explosions that could be seen as far away as Long Beach, and black smoke lines spiraled across the azure sky.

Siller was headed home to Staten Island after working the night shift at Squad Company No. 1 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, when the first plane struck. After calling Sarah, he turned his Jeep around and raced to the fire station. There he dressed in protective gear, grabbed 65 pounds of equipment and drove to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, trying to catch up with his squad, which was on its way to the towers. As part of the New York City Fire Department’s Special Operations Command, Squad One took a leading role in the rescue effort at the towers.

The tunnel was closed when Siller reached it, so the father of five hurried along the catwalk to avoid the gridlocked mass of vehicles that crowded the 1.7-mile-long thoroughfare. He was reportedly picked up by a fire crew on the tunnel’s Manhattan side and delivered to Liberty and West streets, at the foot of the burning World Trade Center.

Siller rushed into the South Tower, where members of Squad One were directing terrified people out of the building. Siller and 10 of his fellow Squad One members never came out.

At 9:59 a.m., the South Tower collapsed, killing everyone inside. Siller’s body was never found. A door from Squad One’s pumper truck was recovered and is now on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. In all, 343 New York City firefighters died that terrible day.