PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The events of September 11, 2001 moved many to serve, whether it be in the military or joining non-profits that help.
While many saw the towers fall, some felt a call to serve and others were inspired to help rebuild.
In that spirit, a group of Tampa Bay residents’ lives intersected this week and have their stories to tell.
Pasco resident Aneisha Johnson is among them.
“I was actually stationed in Tampa at McDill 20 years ago,” said Johnson, who is getting a new roof through a service group. “So, to make the full circle and come back, and for Florida to just bless me, I just feel so proud.”
About two years after the 2024 hurricanes, Aneisha is moving into a restored home on September 11.
But she lost her home insurance.
Johnson applied for help from Rebuilding Together Greater Florida. The Air Force veteran got to meet the team involved in her roof repair.
They put the team together and got Owens Corning to donate the materials and Veterans Contracting to do the work.
Everyone involved has a story to tell about 9/11, including Colin McGrail, construction manager for Rebuilding Together, Greater Florida.
“It was a beautiful day,” said McGrail, of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City. “Not a cloud in the sky.”
He was a construction manager in New York at the time, working in Midtown near the Times Square district.
Justin Coles is also with Rebuilding Together.
“So, I was 12 years old on 9-11. I grew up in Manhattan,” he said. “My father worked in the financial district, so we couldn’t find him for many, many hours.”
His father survived.
They lived nearby and described the chaos of that day.
“You know there were no cell phones back then. It was pretty hectic,” said Coles. “We went straight to a church close to our home. There were folks covered in dust and blood. It was a pretty jarring moment as a child.”
“You could actually hear the fighter jets,” he said about the situation that day.
A quarter of a century later, the work continues.
Like many, Coles was moved by the experience.
And not lost in this story is the significance of the word rebuilding.
“It was watching how everyone came together and it was really inspiring,” said Coles. “And frankly I think it’s that thread has woven its way into the work I do today.”
And their paths crossed again, at a different moment, for a different story.
“I’m a firm believer of fate,” McGrail said. “There’s a reason that I was brought here.”
Johnson remembers what happened on that day as well.
“My granddad was in the Air Force, so he served,” said Aneisha. “And I wanted to take after his footsteps, so I went in right after high school shortly after 9/11.”
She served her country for six years in Operation Enduring Freedom. And, on this day, they are remembering and paying tribute together.