{"id":344393,"date":"2026-09-11T22:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T22:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344393\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T22:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T22:10:08","slug":"firefighters-from-across-u-s-join-new-yorkers-to-remember-pay-respect-on-9-11-25th-anniversary-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344393\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefighters from across U.S. join New Yorkers to remember, pay respect on 9\/11 25th anniversary \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2013 Hundreds of firefighters, most from New York City but others from places as distant as Oregon and Anaheim, carved out tiny moments of dignity Friday morning in lower Manhattan.<\/p>\n

They did it on the sidewalk, next to O\u2019Hara\u2019s Bar, a famously firefighter-friendly establishment.<\/p>\n

Starting around sunrise and continuing through the morning, uniformed fire workers \u2013 usually alone, but sometimes in groups \u2013 made their way to the spot along Greenwich Avenue, between Albany and Liberty streets, behind a small wall of American flags and close to four hand-made wreaths stuck to a nearby building.<\/p>\n

Then, as rescue dogs barked and distant taxis honked and thousands of people made conversation nearby, they turned their backs to the cacophony and spent a few moments to silently ponder the 343 brothers and sisters who died 25 years ago, at a spot about a block behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard to concentrate, but I did,\u201d said Ian Yoyocul, a battalion chief with Tualatin Fire, near Portland, Oregon, who is in New York this weekend with about 50 people from his department.<\/p>\n

\"Retired<\/p>\n

Retired FDNY Lieutenant Joe LaPointe comforts Rosemary Cain, whose son, firefighter George Cain, died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"OCFA<\/p>\n

OCFA firefighters Chase Aellig, left Joshua Fuhrman, Kurt Frescas, RJ Provencio and Marco Fajardo, right, greet each other before the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

Anthony Mann Jr. bows his head during a moment of silence outside the official 9\/11 memorial event near Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"LAFD<\/p>\n

LAFD firefighters stand during a moment of silence near of FDNY Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company near Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/p>\n

Family members arrive at the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A firefighter stands by FDNY Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company before the start of the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A plane flies over the One World Trade Center before the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Electric<\/p>\n

Electric signage that reads, \u201cNEVER FORGET\u201d sits behind visitors to the Oculus in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emanuel<\/p>\n

Emanuel Maestre, and his girlfriend, Carly Singleton, watch firefighters as they leave the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Retired<\/p>\n

Retired FDNY dispatcher Jimmy Raftery during a moment of silence outside FDNY Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company near Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Retired<\/p>\n

Retired Anaheim firefighter Fernando Negrete marches with other firefighters through lower Manhattan during the annual 9\/11 memorial event in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Negrete, an honorary member of the New York Fire Department, led a group of local firemen to New York after 9\/11 to help distribute donations to families of fallen members of the FDNY. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"FDNY<\/p>\n

FDNY firefighters, left and LAFD firefighters, right, stand during a moment of silence in front of FDNY Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company near Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"LAFD<\/p>\n

LAFD firefighter Chad Bennett looks up at the One World Trade Center before the start of the annual 9\/11 memorial event in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"LAFD<\/p>\n

LAFD firefighter Jared Bennett before the start of the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Retired<\/p>\n

Retired Anaheim firefighter Fernando Negrete marches with other firefighters through lower Manhattan during the annual 9\/11 memorial event in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Negrete, an honorary member of the New York Fire Department, led a group of local firemen to New York after 9\/11 to help distribute donations to families of fallen members of the FDNY. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"FDNY<\/p>\n

FDNY firefighters stand during a moment of silence in front of FDNY Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company near Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Retired<\/p>\n

Retired Anaheim firefighter Fernando Negrete, right, jokes with fellow retired firefighter Tom Roche as they chat with New York firefighters in lower Manhattan during the annual 9\/11 memorial event in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Negrete, an honorary member of the New York Fire Department, led a group of local firemen to New York after 9\/11 to help distribute donations to families of fallen members of the FDNY. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"OCFA<\/p>\n

OCFA firefighters before the annual 9\/11 memorial event at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 18<\/p>\n

Retired FDNY Lieutenant Joe LaPointe comforts Rosemary Cain, whose son, firefighter George Cain, died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero in New York, NY, on September 11, 2026. The was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe owe them at least a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quiet dignity parade wasn\u2019t the only spot of incongruity\u00a0Friday, Sept. 11, when New York \u2013 and the world \u2013 marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During a day that included several hours of speeches and moments of silence and the readings of each name of the 2,977 people who died in the attacks, officials and un-officials seemed to engage in a quiet test of wills.<\/p>\n

Police and anti-terror experts tried hard to orchestrate the thrumming crowd near Ground Zero, an area that now includes the 9\/11 Memorial & Museum\u00a0and a cluster of other buildings and reflecting pools. But thousands of people, with all kinds of agendas, resisted that herding, pressing whenever, and however, for a closer look.<\/p>\n

Food cart guys, news workers, lower-level public officials; everybody who didn\u2019t have access to the center of the day\u2019s event \u2013 which was set aside for families of the victims, dignitaries and four former U.S. presidents \u2013 seemed to be curious and, at times, genuinely moved by what they saw and heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed to see it, so I was down there super early, before I opened. So were some of the other guys from around here,\u201d said Sharm Khalil, who sells crispy chicken, fully Halal, for about $10 a plate from one of a half-dozen food carts that do business about two blocks from Ground Zero.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother lost her best friend in the north tower,\u201d Khalil added. \u201cI was a little kid at the time, but she was a nice lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the people crowding the barriers simply wanted to feel closer to the action.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a bigger deal than usual, obviously, because it\u2019s the 25th. We\u2019ve got to do something bigger on the round numbers, right,\u201d said a man wearing a \u201c(Expeitive) Terrorists.com\u201d T-shirt, who declined to give his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t care what year it is. This is the biggest and best (expletive) city in the world and it was royally (messed) with on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody else might be forgetting about it, but not me. I don\u2019t forget that (stuff).\u201d<\/p>\n

Others were in New York to express solidarity with firefighters, police, janitors, flight attendants, pilots and stockbrokers, among others, who died in the attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s history,\u201d said Jared Bennett, a captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department who came with his son, Chad Bennett, an LAFD fireman who works near USC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s part of why we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in a city where TV advertising is peppered with lawyers looking for clients who claim to be injured by the after-effects of the attacks, Sept. 11 also remains news.<\/p>\n

This month, New York City officials released information that suggested past city officials knew that the air near Ground Zero, for months after the attacks, was more harmful than was publicly disclosed.<\/p>\n

In all, about 9,000 people \u2013 more than triple the number who were killed in the attacks \u2013 have died in the years since 2001 from health problems caused by poor air and other exposures, according to the World Trade Center Health Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still happening, man,\u201d said D\u2019Andre Fitts, a Brooklyn resident who works at a restaurant near Ground Zero. \u201cEvery day, the Sept. 11 stuff comes out and shows you how a lot of people are still hurting from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That concept is why the Sept. 11 event on Friday differed slightly from previous ceremonies, adding a new moment of silence \u2013 bringing the total to seven \u2013 specifically to remember those who died of related health issues.<\/p>\n

The other moments of silence commemorate the exact times that each of the four flights crashed and the moments when each of the World Trade Center buildings collapsed.<\/p>\n

Still, for all the history invoked in the ceremony, and the sometimes rowdy crowd, at least some people came to Ground Zero to try to work through feelings still roiling 25 years after the attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can look up and describe the clothes people wore when they jumped,\u201d said Paul Gassar, a Seattle resident who worked at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.<\/p>\n

Gasser, who early Friday afternoon was with his wife, Barbara, at the reflecting pools that were built where the towers once stood, said 25 years ago he was a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, working on the 61st floor of the North Tower, just below where the first plane hit.<\/p>\n

He got down the stairs and out of the building, but was just a block away when it started to collapse. Dust, Gasser said, temporarily blinded him, and he was pulled into a grocery by a stranger, a move that he believes may have saved his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a miracle that I got out, that I got the help I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gasser, a former police officer, said he went back a day later and offered to volunteer at the site. But he was turned away, he said, because he\u2019d worked in the buildings and those workers, at that point, weren\u2019t allowed to be part of the rescue effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gasser hadn\u2019t been back to Ground Zero until Friday. He suggested the 25 years was a necessary buffer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt changed my life completely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2013 Hundreds of firefighters, most from New York City but others from places as distant as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,12,56,54358,27],"class_list":["post-344393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-news","tag-ny","tag-sept-11","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}