The first confirmed casualty of the devastating Islamic terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, was a priest and firefighter chaplain who rushed to serve victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center. He was one of numerous first responders, religious leaders, and other heroes who showed incredible courage and self-sacrifice on that day 25 years ago.
The New York Fire Department has not forgotten Fr. Mychal Judge in 25 years. The department had a special screening of a tribute to the priest who raced with his firemen to the World Trade Center and died with some of them in the wreckage.
Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, the FDNY remembers Father Mychal Judge not by how he died, but by how he lived. Known to so many as a chaplain, a Friar, a mentor and a source of comfort, Father Judge dedicated his life to serving others. His kindness, compassion and words of hope continue to resonate with FDNY members, their families and New Yorkers today. Presented by FDNY Pro Films, "Remembering Judge" tells the story of a life defined by service and leadership. It sheds light on the person who brought hope to members of the Department and their families during their darkest hours. Join us for a special screening of "Remembering Judge" at 1:30PM Sunday, Sept. 6, or 6PM Friday, Sept. 11, at Firehouse Cinema in Manhattan. Tickets can be purchased at https://t.co/B4tMgQIK5G.
— FDNY (@FDNY) August 31, 2026
Fr. Kevin Mullen, a Franciscan friar, remembered Fr. Judge: “People would often say about him, when you talk to him it was like you were the only person before him.” Fr. Mullen had heard about the collapse of the first tower before a funeral where he was officiating, and as soon as he heard a radio announcement about an injured fire chaplain, he was certain it was Fr. Judge, but called his regional superior to confirm. “As soon as he answered the phone — he didn't even say, 'Hello, Kevin' — he just said, 'It was Mychal.' And I said, 'I thought so.' That's how I learned.”
Fr. Judge wasn’t just injured; he was dead. But Fr. Mullen confessed that as tragic as the loss was for him, “I felt that if Mychal was given his choice of how he would go out of this world, that would have been his choice: to be with the firefighters, literally going with his boots on.”
On the same day that Fr. Judge lost his life, newly ordained priest Fr. Stephen McGraw was going to a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery when he accidentally took a wrong turn. He was in a traffic backup near the Pentagon when he heard a plane roar overhead and saw it crash into the military headquarters. Fr. McGraw leaped out of his car with his prayer book and materials for Extreme Unction, rushing to the lawn to pray with and comfort victims. One badly burned woman, Antoinette Sherman, begged the priest to tell her parents that she loved them. “I will,” he promised her. She died of her injuries at the hospital.
Related: ‘Sacred Oath’: Trump Vows ‘We Will Never, Ever Forget’ 9/11
Like the priests, countless first responders rushed toward the collapsing buildings and deadly fires on 9/11. One of the musical tributes to the heroes of that day is Tom Paxton’s “The Bravest” for the firemen who kept running back into the World Trade Center to rescue people until the towers collapsed over their heads.So many men risked their lives to help the victims that day.
Today, we remember FDNY Fire Marshal Ronald P. Bucca—known as “The Flying Fireman.”
— Patrick J. Brosnan (@PatrickJBrosnan) September 7, 2026
A 23-year veteran of the FDNY, Ron Bucca answered the call on September 11 and climbed to the 78th floor of the South Tower to help others escape. He made the ultimate sacrifice in service to New… pic.twitter.com/8O7PJPEd3b
FDNY Firefighter Gary Box, Squad 1. On 9/11 he ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel toward the World Trade Center after his truck was stuck in traffic. Last photo of him. Remains never recovered. Family found this picture almost nine years later. A hero. Tell your kids.
— Mike Bales 🫡🇺🇸 (@MikeBales) September 4, 2026
This… pic.twitter.com/uQxB2A98yb
💙 Sometimes the smallest decisions change everything.
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) September 11, 2026
On 9/11, firefighter Jay Jonas and his crew stopped to help Josephine Harris as they evacuated the North Tower after hijackers flew a plane into it. She told them to leave her and save themselves.
They wouldn't.
🎧… pic.twitter.com/xPrgZw0zTZ
FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller ran from the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 to the World Trade Center, where he died trying to save others.
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) September 11, 2026
His family honored him Friday morning by walking the same route he did that day. pic.twitter.com/XgrsQ3Du7M
25 years ago on 9/11, heroes came on two legs and four.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 11, 2026
More than 300 search and rescue dogs climbed across mountains of debris and smoldering rubble at Ground Zero, working alongside first responders in the desperate search for survivors.
Therapy dogs also arrived, providing… pic.twitter.com/NGuN4JCej9
SACRED GROUND HONOR ROLL
— Patrick J. Brosnan (@PatrickJBrosnan) September 6, 2026
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 🇺🇸
FDNY Firefighter Michael F. Cammarata was only 22 years old and assigned to Ladder Company 11.
As his company responded to the World Trade Center, Michael left his family one final voicemail: “I am going to the World… pic.twitter.com/ObiiArl4Ai
Michael Curtin, Sergeant, NYPD
— Cat 🇺🇸🏴🇺🇸 (@AllAmericanGrl1) September 10, 2026
Michael Sean Curtin was a US Marine and NYPD sergeant who gave his life attempting to rescue victims during the September 11 attacks, remembered for his courage, service, and devotion to family.
Michael Sean Curtin was born on August 24, 1956, in… pic.twitter.com/EmRK1wWr4n
Not every hero of 9/11 wore a cassock or a uniform. The passengers of Flight 93 knew after the terrorist hijackers took over their plane that there was no hope for them, but they could prevent the plane from reaching and hitting the U.S. Capitol. So courageous passengers fought back against the hijackers for control of the plane and crashed it in a field in Pennsylvania.
Shanksville, PA — Artists draw in stunning detail the 40 passengers and crew members of United Flight 93 who fought back against hijackers… 25 years later. @CBSNews https://t.co/uPE9DKar9n
— Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) September 10, 2026
In the Twin Towers, coworkers were helping each other as soon as the crash occurred. Michael Benfante and John Cerqueira carried wheelchair-bound Tina Hansen down multiple flights, refusing to abandon her, while Stanley Praimnath says he never would have made it out of the wreckage of his office had it not been for Brian Clark's help.
Today we remember all of the innocent people who died on 9/11, but we particularly honor those who died while trying to bring comfort and help to their fellow Americans.
