9/11 survivor & FDNY Veteran Tim Brown lost nearly 100 of his friends in the September 11 terrorist attacks, including his two best friends.  He has made it his mission to assure that our nation never forgets.

Tim is no stranger to the face of terrorism. He responded to the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and was dispatched to help with the recovery efforts following the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. But nothing could have prepared him for the events of 9/11.

He had been assigned to Mayor Giuliani’s Office of Emergency Management – a role Tim describes as “taking off his helmet and putting on a tie.” He was in his office across the street from One World Trade Center when the first plane hit the North Tower.

Tim describes some of the horrible moments he experienced, including last seconds with his fellow firefighters before they climbed the stairs with full knowledge that they may never return. “It was what all the firemen, policemen and EMT’s did that day. They fulfilled the oath they had taken to give their lives for someone they didn’t know.”

Tim was 20 feet from the front of the South Tower when it collapsed and sought cover in the Marriott Hotel next door, which was subsequently buried under the rubble. Drawing upon his training, he held on to a vertical column while the wind (later proven to be has high as 185 mph) picked him up.  “I was just waiting to be crushed in that moment”. Tim and a few dozen others were able to find their way out of the rubble.

We discuss how the number of rescuers dying from 9/11 illness is rapidly approaching the number killed during the attacks.

Tim has become a national leader in preserving the memories of those who were murdered on 9/11 at Ground Zero. He feels particularly compelled to share these stories with younger generations who had not been born at that time.

Tim volunteers with the National September 11 Memorial Museum and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. He can be reached via Eagle Rise Speaker’s Bureau.

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