(The Center Square) – Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, victims’ family members are encouraging Americans to remember the 2,977 lives taken and to demand accountability.
Memorials are ongoing nationwide to honor 343 firefighters who were killed after they rushed into the World Trade Center twin towers to rescue people trapped inside. Many made it to the 73rd floor of the first tower before it collapsed.
Two hijacked commercial planes leaving Boston Logan International Airport were flown into the towers. American Airlines Flight 11 was flown into the north tower at 8:45 am, crashing into floors 93 to 99. Three hijackers were Saudis; one was Egyptian; one was from the UAE. They killed 1,470 people in the north tower and 87 people on Flight 11.
United Airlines Flight 175 was flown into the south tower at 9:05 am, crashing into floors 77 to 85. Three hijackers were Saudis; two were from the UAE. They killed 695 people in the south tower and 60 people on Flight 175.
The terrorists also killed 441 first responders, including 343 firefighters, who were killed when the south tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m. and the north tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m.
Among them was Anthony Rodriguez, who served with the New York City Fire Department, Engine 279. He was born in the Bronx, lived in Staten Island and would have turned 37 on Dec. 14, 2001.
He was only six months into the job. He first served as a U.S. Navy radioman for 10 years. He was heading home when the towers were attacked’ called his family to say he was turning around to help. That was the last time they heard from him. Three days later’ his wife gave birth to their sixth child. He was survived by his wife, parents, children, siblings and grandparents.
His daughter, Lauren Rodriguez, was 15 when he was killed. Currently living in Loranger, Louisiana, this is the first anniversary she won’t be able to travel to the World Trade Center memorial site. She was diagnosed with cancer two months ago.
“For me, the 25th anniversary of 9/11 is incredibly difficult to put into words,” Rodriguez told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. “Twenty-five years sounds like such a long time, but when you lose your father that way, the passage of time doesn’t erase the loss. It changes it, but it never makes it go away.”
“My father was a firefighter. He went to work that morning doing what he had always done. He never came home. I’ve had to live with that reality for 25 years and so has my family.
“There are so many moments in life where I wish he had been here. Milestones, birthdays, holidays, and all the ordinary moments that you don’t realize you’ll miss until someone is gone. That is the part of 9/11 that I wish people understood. The attacks didn’t end that day. The consequences have continued for the families left behind every single day since.”
Rodriguez also said what other victims’ families have said: this year’s anniversary “is a reminder that we cannot allow 9/11 to become just a chapter in a history book. For those of us who lost someone, it is still personal. It is still our father, our mother, our child, our spouse, our friend. And for the children of the people who died, it is a lifetime of experiences our loved ones never got to share with us.”
She like other 9/11 family members are calling for accountability and transparency as two 9/11 cases are ongoing – a criminal trial against 9/11 conspirators still being held at Guantanamo Bay and a civil trial against the Saudi government by 9/11 victims’ families.
“When it comes to accountability, I don’t believe Americans should ever stop asking difficult questions,” Rodriguez said. “Accountability isn’t about assigning blame simply for the sake of blame. It is about understanding exactly what happened, who knew what, who helped whom, what failures allowed it to happen, and whether those responsible have truly been held accountable.
“That includes continuing to pursue legitimate questions surrounding Saudi Arabia and the evidence that has emerged over the years. The families who have pursued the lawsuit against Saudi Arabia deserve the opportunity to have those claims fully examined in court. After 25 years, asking for answers is not asking too much. It is the very least that families who lost loved ones deserve.”
Accountability also includes ensuring that all the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission are implemented, she and others argue. Not all have been. New agencies, regulations and legislation “doesn’t mean the work of protecting Americans is ever finished,” she said, adding that more needs to be done. “The lesson of 9/11 should be that we have to continually examine our systems, challenge failures and hold our leaders and institutions accountable when they fall short.”
Rodriguez also is urging Americans “to remember the human beings behind the numbers. My father wasn’t one of 2,977 people. He was my dad. He had a pregnant wife and family waiting for him. He had a life, dreams, a personality, and people who loved him so very much. Every person who was lost that day was someone’s everything.”
She doesn’t want her father remembered “only for the way he died … but for the way he lived, for the firefighter he was, for the father he was, and for the lives he touched.”
She also wants Americans to understand “that while America moved forward after 9/11, those of us who lost someone didn’t get to move forward without them. We learned how to carry the loss with us. That is what the 25th anniversary represents. Remembrance, grief, resilience, and an obligation to never stop seeking the truth.”
Thousands of Americans are participating in local climbing and running step challenges to honor firefighters and first responders who died. Each tower had 110 floors and 2,071 steps. The 911 Tower Challenges, “343 Challenge” and “9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs” help raise funds to support Fire Hero Families.