9/11 remembrance tour stops in Houston
Tunnels to Towers brought a 16,000-pound piece of remembrance from 9/11 to Houston in honor of the upcoming 25th anniversary. FOX 26’s Angie Rodriguez gives a look into the “Steel Across America” tour.
HOUSTON – A powerful and emotional piece of American history has arrived at Space Center Houston.
What we know:
The Tunnel to Towers “Steel Across America” tour made its 11th stop in Space City, putting a massive, 16,000-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center South Tower on display for the public.
The tour comes ahead of a major milestone for the nation.
A Mission to ‘Never Forget’
What they’re saying:
For those transporting the artifact, the cross-country journey is deeply personal. Among them is Stephen Siller Jr., the son of fallen 9/11 firefighter Stephen Siller, after whom the Tunnel to Towers Foundation is named.
“For us to be traveling the country with this steel, I mean, it is overwhelming. It’s huge. It’s an undertaking,” Siller Jr. said. “This is 21 feet, 16,900 pounds. There’s a reason we’re doing that. And that is our mission of never forgetting.”
The Story Behind the Lodged Pepsi Can 
The backstory:
The beam contains eerie, frozen-in-time details from the construction of the World Trade Center towers—including a Pepsi can that remains lodged inside the wreckage.
Siller Jr., who was just nine months old when his father lost his life on September 11, shared the emotional moment he first discovered the artifact.
“It was the first time in my life that I had seen rubble from the World Trade Center,” Siller Jr. recalled. “I wasn’t there to see the rubble at Ground Zero. When I walked up to it, I was so overwhelmed. I ran my hand across the entirety of the beam… And as I was doing that, my hand brushed up against this Pepsi can, which you can see lodged into this beam.”
He explained that the can was likely left behind by a construction worker decades ago when the building was first erected.
“A construction worker put that in there when they were pouring the cement in there. The steel beam never should have been exposed,” Siller Jr. said. “We were never supposed to see this Pepsi can. We were never supposed to see the steel beam. And unfortunately, now it’s such a massive part of our history. This beam represents so much.”
Where the Tour Goes Next
What’s next:
Houston is just one early stop on a massive, patriotic journey. The steel beam is scheduled to travel over 10,000 miles, visiting more than 35 cities across 21 different states.
June 2nd – Austin, TXJune 3rd – Texarkana, TXJune 5th – Arlington, TXJune 9th – Fort Worth, TXJune 12th – Oklahoma City, OKJune 17th – Scottsdale, AZJune 23rd – San Diego, CAJune 26th – Huntington Beach, CAJune 28th – West Los Angeles, CAJune 30th – Los Angeles, CAJuly 1st – Simi Valley, CAJuly 10th – San Francisco, CAJuly 17th – Seattle, WAJuly 23rd – Salt Lake City, UTJuly 28th – Keystone, NDAugust 1st – Denver, COAugust 5th – Kansas City, MOAugust 8th – St. Louis, MOAugust 12th – Chicago, ILAugust 19th – Indianapolis, INAugust 22nd – Cincinnati, OHSeptember 1st – West Point, NYSeptember 3rd – Boston, MASeptember 9th – Washington, DCSeptember 11th, Brooklyn, NY
The Source: Steel Across America.