09/11/2026
🇺🇸 9•11•2001 — 25 Years Later, We Still Remember
There are calls that change a department. There are calls that change the fire service. And then there are moments that change an entire nation.
September 11, 2001, was one of those moments.
As firefighters, there is one part of that day that will always hit especially close to home — while thousands of people were desperately trying to get out, firefighters were going in.
They climbed stairwell after stairwell carrying tools, hose packs, medical equipment, and the weight of knowing people above them needed help. They passed civilians coming down and continued going up.
343 FDNY firefighters never came back out.
Today, we remember every one of them. We remember the empty seats left at firehouse tables, the gear that never got picked up again, and the families and brothers and sisters of the fire service who had to continue without them.
But the courage witnessed that day extended far beyond the fire service.
We remember the EMS providers who treated the injured, police officers who helped evacuate thousands, dispatchers who remained behind the radio, hospital personnel who prepared for the unimaginable, and every other responder who went to work when the world around them was falling apart.
And we remember the civilians and bystanders who became heroes without ever expecting to be one — people who stopped to help strangers, carried the injured, guided others toward safety, and refused to leave someone behind.
We remember those lost at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, aboard the aircraft, and the passengers and crew of Flight 93, whose final act of courage took place in the skies above Pennsylvania.
Twenty-five years later, September 11 is not only about remembering those who died.
It is also about remembering those who survived.
The firefighters, EMS providers, police officers, recovery workers, civilians, and families who are still living differently today because of what they saw, what they endured, what they lost, and the illnesses that followed their work at Ground Zero.
We also hold close the families and friends who lost someone they loved that day. Behind every name is a family, a group of friends, coworkers, and loved ones who have carried that absence for 25 years. Anniversaries may mark the passing of time, but they do not erase an empty seat at the table, a voice that is missed, or the memories of someone who never came home. Today, we remember them and keep their families and loved ones in our thoughts as well.
For them, September 11 never truly became history.
So today, Commodore Volunteer Fire Department, and the entire nation remembers.
We remember those who ran out.
We honor those who ran in.
We remember those who stepped forward to help.
We remember those who never made it home.
And we stand with those who still carry that day with them.
As the years pass and new generations enter the fire service who weren't yet alive on September 11, 2001, we will continue to tell the story. We will continue to honor their sacrifice. We will continue to remember their lives.
343. Nearly 3,000 lives. Countless heroes. One promise:
🇺🇸 WE WILL NEVER FORGET. 🇺🇸
