22 years ago

On September 11, 2001, firefighter Gary Box, then 35 years old and serving in Brooklyn, tragically disappeared without a trace amidst the chaos of the terrorist attacks. He hadn't spoken to his father that fateful day, and his body remained unrecovered, leaving his fate shrouded in uncertainty. Eight years later, in 2009, Gary's sister Christine visited the Tribute Center, where an employee inquired if she was searching for someone specific. She mentioned her brother Gary, prompting the employee to direct her to a photograph within the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, mistakenly bearing Gary's name. However, the pictured firefighter was Brian Bilcher, another brave member of Gary's fire squad who had also perished on that tragic day. This discovery ignited Gary's father's determination to uncover a similar image of his son. He tirelessly combed through photo archives at the National 9/11 Museum and explored the memorial's website, which allowed users to upload their 9/11 photos. After an exhaustive five-hour search one night, he went to bed, drained both physically and emotionally. The following morning, his wife Helen summoned him to the living room during breakfast, revealing a photo of a firefighter running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel toward the Towers amidst trapped cars. This time, it was Gary.

Steve Buscemi served as a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984. Following the events of September 11th, he returned to his former firehouse in New York and volunteered to assist. For a week, he collaborated with his fellow firefighters, aiding in the search for missing colleagues amidst the debris of Ground Zero.

Footage from the moment the first tower was hit

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Andrea Haberman initiated a playful tradition she and her fiancé cherished whenever they were separated: a competition to see who could make the first morning call. On this fateful day, Andrea emerged victorious. Seizing the opportunity afforded by the time zone difference, she dialed from her desk in the Carr Future offices situated high in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, choosing to arrive early for her 9:00 a.m. meeting. Approximately 40 minutes after concluding her call, a hijacked commercial airliner tragically penetrated the building just one floor above her location. Escape became an impossible feat. In the days and weeks that followed, recovery personnel discovered some of Andrea's personal possessions amidst the debris at Ground Zero. Among these items was the cell phone she had used for her final conversation with her fiancé. These poignant relics, along with some of her other belongings, have since become part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum's collection.

Bernard Brown II was described by his mum as a little boy who ‘lived to go to school’. It was the 11-year-old’s love of learning that saw him heading out of his hometown of Washington D.C. on an adventure to the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California, with a group of teachers and two other students.  Out golfing for the day, Bernard’s father, a Navy chief petty officer who worked in the Pentagon, had talked to his son about the fear he had about flying in preparation for his flight to California. ‘To be honest, we talked about death,’ Bernard Sr. told NBC. ‘I just told him, “Don’t be afraid. Just listen to what the people tell you, and the instructions. You’ll be all right; you’ll be fine.” He said, “Daddy, I’m scared,” and I said, “Hey, don’t be scared; don’t be afraid to die. Because we are all going to die someday.”’ Little did he know it would be one of the last conversations he would have with his beloved son, who was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 am.

Tom Canavan, who worked at the First Union brokerage firm, was buried alive when the first tower fell on 9/11. He was saved from death, he told Reuters, because a large cement wall fell over him which created a safe pocket in the pile of debris. He began crawling and digging upwards, out of the rubble, and eventually got to safety.

Christine Hanson was the youngest victim of the 9/11 attacks at just 2 years old. She was traveling with her parents, Sue and Peter Hanson, on United Airlines Flight 175. The family was on their way to California for a vacation, which included a planned visit to Disneyland. Their flight was hijacked and crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Christine's short life and the loss suffered by her family serve as a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact of the events that unfolded that day.

Pictured below is Marcy Borders, an American legal assistant who worked for Bank of America at its World Trade Center branch. She was born on July 19, 1973, and tragically passed away on August 24, 2015. Marcy Borders survived the harrowing events of September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center was attacked by al-Qaeda. Photographer Stan Honda captured an iconic image of her that day, earning her the nickname "Dust Lady." Reflecting on his photograph's legacy, Honda said, "Over the years, it has been strange for me to think that my photo has a lasting impact. I never imagined I'd have an image like that. I believe people relate to it because it depicts a single person trying to cope with the chaos of that fateful day." In 2011, Marcy Borders revealed how the trauma of 9/11 led to ten years of depression and addiction. She described it as if her soul was knocked down with the towers. Tragically, in August 2014, Marcy Borders was diagnosed with stomach cancer, which she attributed to exposure to toxic dust during the World Trade Center collapse. Despite not having undergone surgery and requiring more chemotherapy, her medical bills had already accumulated to $190,000. She couldn't even afford to fill her prescriptions. She firmly believed that her cancer was linked to the toxic exposure, stating, "I definitely believe it because I haven't had any other illnesses, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes." Marcy Borders lost her battle with cancer and passed away on August 24, 2015.

David died on 9/11. Three-year-old David was a vegetable loving toddler who adored Lego and going to his swimming lessons every week. On September 11, David boarded flight 175 at Logan Airport with his fathers to return home to Los Angeles following a visit to Cape Cod. Following the tragedy a plaque was added in the little boy’s memory at the West Hollywood playground that David loved to go to with his dads.

Sgt. John McLoughlin, a sergeant with the Port Authority police, was trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero while trying to help others. He tried to use his radio to send a final message to the pregnant wife of a rookie officer he was trapped with, asking that she fulfill his wish that they name their unborn child Olivia. McLoughlin survived being buried underground for 22 hours. After being placed in a medically induced coma for six weeks, he returned to Ground Zero four months later to witness the removal of "the final column" at Ground Zero.