Siller, Stephen

The morning of 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen had just finished a long night on call. At 8:46 a.m. on his way by car to a round of golf with his brothers, he received the alert on the “walkie talkie” he always carried with him. The alarm was raised that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. At that moment, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to inform his brothers that he would join their golf game later. He turned around and returned to the Squad 1 station to change and grab his equipment. 

When he arrived with the truck at the entrance to the Battery Tunnel (which connects Brooklyn to Manhattan), it was closed for security reasons. Determined to join his comrades in saving the many people who were trapped in the Twin Towers, he dressed in full firefighter’s gear (weighing 27 kg) and ran the 5 km tunnel as fast as he could. He died that same day, aged 34. 

The Christian life of a normal person

Stephen had everything in his life: a wonderful wife, five children and many, many friends. Because his parents were very close to the Franciscan order, they taught him to live by the philosophy of St. Francis of Assisi. Stephen was very fond of the saint’s saying “while we have time, let us do good”. Stephen is certainly a great example of someone who gives his life for others.

A few days ago took place the race in his honor, which is run by people from all over the world. Many firefighters from all over the country travel to New York to run it in their uniforms. The course is full of flags and the atmosphere is spectacular. 

New Yorkers’ annual commemoration of that fateful day also highlights stories of dedication such as Stephen’s.