Full Breakdown
25 Years After 9/11: Veterans, First Responders, and Volunteers Reflect on a Defining Moment
By Drooid · · How we work
The Day and Its Immediate Aftermath
On September 11, 2001, two commercial airliners struck the World Trade Center towers, a third hit the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The North Tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m. and the South Tower at 9:59 a.m., killing nearly 3,000 people. Within minutes, National Guard units, urban-search teams, and civilian volunteers converged on Ground Zero to begin rescue, recovery, and demolition operations that would last for months.
Personal Accounts from the Ground
Veterans and civilians who were present describe shock, duty, and lasting change.
- John Byrnes, a National Guard member, heard sirens on Lexington Avenue, raced to his armory, and spent two weeks securing Ground Zero before later deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Chris Hoff, who enlisted after the attacks, later suffered multiple concussions that ended his career; he credits the Wounded Warrior Project and equine therapy for his recovery.
- Rep. Troy Downing, then a hunter in Alaska, walked into a recruiter’s office the day after the attacks and joined the Air National Guard.
- Brandon Newberry enlisted in 2006, served two tours in Afghanistan, and observed that women could attend school while U.S. forces were present, yet he believes the U.S. “fumbled the ball” in establishing a lasting Afghan government.
- Alex Nikulín, now a geophysics professor, volunteered with the Salvation Army on September 11 and spent weeks shifting from rescue to recovery, noting the city’s “total moment of unity.”
- Lt. Col. James Zegel, then at Andrews Air Force Base, heard the Pentagon fire alarms and helped launch three Hueys to deliver medical supplies.
- Robert Verhelst, a Madison firefighter, drove to New York, worked two weeks as a tunnel rat, and later said the experience “didn’t feel right” to stay alive after witnessing the loss of fellow responders.
Official Reflections and Institutional Responses
Military and civic leaders have framed the anniversary as a reminder of collective resolve. Capt. Grahame Dicks emphasized that most ROTC participants were not alive for the attacks, underscoring the need to teach the “spirit of unity” to a new generation. Lt. Col. Zegel recalled the “ground was shaking” as aircraft were readied, while Lt. Gen. Foglesong’s urgent radio call, “Son, we are in a really bad way here,” illustrates the immediacy of the response.
Health Legacy and Legislative Efforts
Long-term exposure to dust has produced a sizable health burden. The World Trade Center Health Program reports over 57,000 cancer cases linked to the site, while former Fox News correspondent Eric Shawn estimates 50,000 people suffer 9/11-related illnesses. In response, a bipartisan bill introduced on March 24—the Get Justice-Involved Veterans BACK HOME Act—would create a VA pilot program to provide mental-health care to the roughly 181,000 incarcerated veterans, prioritizing those with PTSD, TBI, or military-sexual-trauma diagnoses.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Casualty figures differ among sources. The annual name-reading ceremony at Ground Zero lists 2,977 victims, whereas a separate report from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum cites 2,753 deaths. Both numbers appear in official commemorations, indicating a lack of consensus on the exact toll.
