By Craig Kelly
The Lima News
LIMA, Ohio — This year’s Allen County Fair has all the sights and sounds one comes to expect from such an event, from the flashing lights of the carnival rides to the squeals of kids riding them. However, there is one new sight at this year’s fair, one that evokes memories of a sight seared into the nation’s memory nearly 23 years ago.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, established to preserve the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001, while also helping other veterans and first responders, brought its 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit to this year’s fair, bringing not only a full-fledged museum experience to the fairgrounds but also first responders who were at Ground Zero in New York City on that day and in the aftermath following.
The foundation was started by the family of Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1 who lost his life that day. According to exhibit field manager Bill Puckett, Siller had just finished a night tour and was on his way home when he heard about the attack on the World Trade Center’s north tower, so he turned around and went back to the station.
“Squad 1 had already been dispatched, so he grabbed his gear, put it in his truck and went driving to the towers,” he said. “To get from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan, you had to go through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it was closed because when the tower was attacked, every bridge and tunnel was shut down. So he got out, put on his gear and ran three and a half miles to meet his squad at the south tower, and they all perished there.”
An orphan raised by his brothers and sisters, Siller’s sacrifice prompted his family to start the foundation first as a way to help other orphans, but that soon grew to helping injured veterans and first responders, including meeting housing needs through mortgage payoff and even smart home construction for those with disabilities. The foundation has also created an age-appropriate curriculum on 9/11 for K-12 students that is now in use in all 50 states.
The mobile exhibit is a multimedia memorial to the events of 9/11, including numerous items connected to the attack, such as damaged beams from the World Trade Center, uniforms and fire gear, a damaged ladder from a ladder truck, recorded communications from that day and more. For retired FDNY Captain Vincent Doherty, getting the chance to share his experiences with various groups through this exhibit is more than just a public service. It is therapy.
“I lost 19 guys from my firehouse,” the former hazardous materials trainer said. " Steven Siller was one of my students.”
Doherty was set to fly out to a meeting in Virginia on behalf of the department when the attack took place. When all flights were grounded, he immediately returned to his station to aid in the response.
“My chief, Jack Fanning, he’s on the board [of the fallen first responders],” he said. “He was there because I wasn’t. He’s the one that sent me out. He’s the one that said, ‘Vinny, take care. Go to this meeting. Do everything right by the fire department.’ So I did. I usually come in at six o’clock in the morning, working until four. He comes in about 10. He had two autistic kids at home. So because I wasn’t there, he came in, which put him right in the mode to respond, and, yeah, he did.”
Located across from the Merchants Building, the exhibit is open for the duration of the fair from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. There is no cost to enter the exhibit, but donations are accepted. To learn more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, go to https://t2t.org.
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