Foundation Honors 9/11 Hero: A Beacon Of Hope For Families Of Fallen Military Personnel, First Responders

After hearing that planes had crashed into the Twin Towers, Brooklyn firefighter Stephen Siller never hesitated to respond. While he wasn’t on duty, Stephen rushed to Ground Zero, running through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, the longest continuous underwater tunnel in the country at more than 1.7 miles, on foot carrying 60 pounds of firefighting gear. Stephen died saving others on 9/11, but his heroism and legacy live on.

Stephen was the youngest of seven siblings in a close-knit family. His parents raised their children with the words of St. Francis: “While we have time, let us do good.” Losing both parents before his teen years, Stephen’s older siblings tried to follow those words as they raised their youngest brother.

Stephen did a lot of good in his 34 years, including raising five children and working as a firefighter. He lived St. Francis’ words, including in his final moments.

Stephen was supposed to play golf with his brothers on that September morning, but he responded after hearing that a plane hit one of the Twin Towers.

Frank Siller recalled his brother’s courage and what he did on 9/11.

“He heard that the towers were hit,” Frank recently said about his brother. “He turned his truck around, went back to his firehouse, called his wife, and said, ‘Tell my brothers I’ll try to catch up with them later.’ Then he got his gear, but the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel had already closed.

Stephen rushed through the tunnel on foot carrying 60 pounds of firefighting gear and arrived at Ground Zero, where he lost his life saving others. His tight-knit family knew they wanted to honor their fallen brother and keep doing good in the time provided to them.

“We had to do something to remember, to never forget what he did that day, and not just Stephen,” Frank shared. “We wanted to honor what so many great heroes did that day, and that’s why we started the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.”

The name of the Foundation told part of Stephen’s story. “He ran through the tunnel to the towers where he gave up his life to save us,” his brother said.

The Foundation launched with a run to honor Stephen and the other heroes who lost their lives on 9/11. The first run, which followed Stephen’s path through the tunnel, was held in 2002.

“Every year, we celebrate our heroes and the lost lives,” Frank said. “As part of the 5k, we run through New York City, through the tunnel, and we retrace my brother’s final heroic footsteps. When you come out of that tunnel, you’re going to see all these firefighters and police officers holding the banners of pictures of the 343 firefighters and the 60 police officers who died on 9/11.”

Since it was founded, the Foundation has continued to help the families of military personnel killed in the line of duty and fallen first responders. In 2009, the Foundation built a house for a first responder’s family. Since then, the Foundation has continued to help other families of fallen heroes. In 2017, the Foundation built a house for a veteran’s family. Five years later, the Foundation paid the mortgages for two families of fallen police officers. Since then, the Foundation and its outreach continue to grow.

When the Foundation holds the run this year, military and first responder families will honor their loved ones as the runners head to lower Manhattan.

“You’re going to see the names and pictures of all 7,000 men and women who have died in the global war on terror,” said Frank. “They put their lives on the line and gave their lives so we didn’t have another attack here in America. We have a long list of the names and photos of those heroes, shoulder to shoulder. It’s almost a mile long.”

Stephen Siller never showed up to that golf game with his brothers 23 years ago. But his family created something positive out of the tragedy of his loss and continues to honor him and other fallen heroes. They’re living up to those words of St. Francis of Assisi that their parents used to tell them: “While we have time, let us do good.”

Jay Price, a writer and friend of the family, reflected on Stephen Siller’s life and heroism, noting his “stature only grows with time as New Yorkers and people from around the world follow his footsteps.”

Even after his time, as countless families line the streets of New York to honor him and other heroes, Stephen is still doing some good.