20 for 20

The First-Ever Group Conversation About Responding On 9/11

FDNY Ladder Company 114, nicknamed Tally Ho, heroically served on 9/11. We hear from four of the six on-duty members who responded to the attacks in a unique group conver

Alison Crowther: My Son Saved 12 Lives

Alison’s son Welles was 24 years old on 9/11 and saved at least 12 people in the South Tower before it collapsed on him. She didn’t know about his heroic actions that day

Ken Kendrick: How The President's First Pitch And Baseball Helped With Healing

After 911, Major League Baseball temporarily postponed its season. With several iconic moments, its return helped America to heal. Arizona Diamondbacks’ principal owner a

Joe LaPointe: Organizing 9/11's Funerals

FDNY firefighter Joe LaPointe was off-duty on 9/11 and raced down to Ground Zero. After the attacks, so many funerals needed more leaders to coordinate them, and Joe was

Nancy Carbone: The Friend of Firefighters

Nancy Carbone felt compelled to do something after 9/11 and started by collecting items that firefighters needed. They later told her what was most needed is a counseling

Michael Daly: The FDNY Chaplain, My Friend, Who Died With His Firefighters

Michael Daly is the author of “The Book of Mychal”, the biography of the most loved FDNY Chaplain, Father Mychal Judge. Father bravely entered the World Trade Center with

A Thanksgiving Message

Today we give thanks for your loyal listenership, for the opportunity to preserve these tragic and beautiful stories, and for every American whose served this great count

Michael Benfante: The Reluctant Hero

After the World Trade Center's North Tower was hit, Michael and his colleague John Cerqueira physically carried wheelchair-bound Tina Hansen down 68 floors to safety. The

Sonia and Joe Agron: The Relentless Volunteers

Sonia is a former EMS technician, and Joe is a police officer who responded on 9/11 (his birthday). She didn't see him until 9/12 and thought he had died. They both helpe

Tim Brown: I Lost 93 Friends on 9/11

Tim Brown is an elite first responder who served in the FDNY for 20 years and was a founding member of the Department of Homeland Security. He said a final goodbye to sev

Robert John Burke: The Actor Who Became A Firefighter

Robert John Burke, who goes by Bobby, has been in programs like Tombstone, RoboCop 3, Law and Order: SVU, Gossip Girl, and Rescue Me. Even more important to him are his f

Niels Jorgensen: My Own Story w/Bill Courtney

Niels Jorgensen, host of “20 for 20”, was reticent to share his own story as part of this series on heroes. However, the team thought it’s important context for why he’s

Brian Clark: I Was One of Only 18 Survivors Where The South Tower Was Struck

The terrorists crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into floors 77 to 85, right where Brian Clark worked. Miraculously, he’s alive to tell his story and also that of a stra

Caryn Pfeifer: My Husband Was A Gentle Giant

FDNY firefighter Ray Pfeifer was off duty on 9/11 and felt tremendous survivor's guilt about the entirety of his on-duty crew dying. Ultimately, he wouldn't be spared fro

Shirley Brooks-Jones: I Was Midflight During 9/11… And It Changed My Life

Shirley Brooks-Jones was on one of the 38 planes in the sky during the terrorist attacks and forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland. This small Canadian community of arou

Mariah Jacobsen: Discovering My Connection to a 9/11 Hero

Mariah was 16 years old on the morning of 9/11 and had a strange feeling one of her birth parents died in the attack. At 19 she could legally discover who they were, and

Ted Anderson: “You Never Leave A Fallen Comrade Behind, Ever”

Lieutenant Colonel Paul “Ted” Anderson was inside of the Pentagon when it was struck by a plane during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ted not only helped people escape, but

John Feal: The Bulldog Who Forced Congress

John Feal was a demolition supervisor at Ground Zero. During the cleanup 8,000 pounds of steel dropped on Feal’s foot, leading to partial amputation. After he was denied

David Braca: My Dad Led His Coworkers Praying into Their Deaths

Many had made fun of Al Braca for his faith, but in their final moments he brought light to the darkness that surrounded them. The story of a bond broker at Cantor Fitzge

Mak Hanna: Our Team of 5 Civilians Saved Over 50 Lives

And only Mak is alive to honor their stories. With his best friends Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz, he worked for the World Trade Center’s construction division on the