Tunnel to Towers Marks 25 Years Since 9/11 at Ellipse; Medal of Freedom Awarded
By • September 10, 2026 0 305
President Trump presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Alison and Paige Crowther, in honor of Welles Crowther — known as the Man in the Red Bandana, who died on Sept. 11 helping people got out of the South Tower just before it collapsed on him and so many others. Photo by Bill Starrels.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America tour brought a 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center to the Ellipse on Sept. 8.
At the Ellipse, the entryway to the 9/11 event was lined with banners depicting individual first responders who died on that fateful day 25 years ago.
For the 39th stop on a nationwide tour in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Steel Across America offered members of the Trump Administration, military service members, first responders and the American public the opportunity to experience the historic artifact firsthand.
The morning ceremony involved the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department and the Port Authority of NY & NJ Police Department, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.
After the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Amazing Grace” and a moment of silence, Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller took to the stage to reflect on personal memories of 9/11, including memories of his brother Stephen Siller, fallen FDNY firefighter, and how Stephen’s legacy inspired the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s mission to do good.
“This steel has the soul of not just my brother, but of so many others,” Siller said. “Every day we give every ounce of our energy to ensure that those lives lost on 9/11 are not forgotten. It is our responsibility to ensure their names are never forgotten, their memories remain in the work that we do. It is our honor, and it is our promise, that we will Never Forget.”
President Donald Trump then walked on the stage — with the White House in the background — and spoke of the sacrifice of the 2,977 Americans lost that day and the courage of the first responders and military service members.
“September 11 was one of those moments in time where everyone knows exactly where they were,” the president said. “I know exactly where I was. It was a beautiful morning. I looked out, and all of a sudden, I looked out my window and saw things I never want to see again. In just over 100 minutes, concrete and steel were reduced to ruin and thousands of lives were extinguished. The world we knew was changed forever. So many things changed because of that day.”
In an odd aside, Trump added a noncredible occurrence of that time, 25 years ago: “I took a whole crew down there, right after this happened, and they had no hesitation. Everybody went down with me. We went down as a big group of people. Wasn’t too much we could do, I’ll be honest. It was … it was raw. Nobody’s seen anything like it, ever. We had other buildings, United States Steel Building was creaking, really creaking. Now, we thought it was gonna fall down. … But it never came down, and I’ll never forget, two firemen, we thought it was coming down on top of this, and two firemen, big, strong guys, and I’m not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me … and they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. They lifted me up, and they started running with me. I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself.’
“This battered piece of steel is a reminder America is blessed with a strength no evil can conquer and no terror can destroy,” Trump noted. “For the past four months, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has taken this steel across the nation to remind Americans what we took away that day and what we did. Their photos are all around us today — these incredible first responders. Men and women — incredible, brave people. We thank you, and we salute you.”
In an event where he was not the star, President Trump concluded his remarks by presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Alison and Paige Crowther, in honor of Welles Crowther — known as the Man in the Red Bandana, who died on Sept. 11 helping people got out of the South Tower just before it collapsed on him and so many others.
This Friday, Sept. 11, Steel Across America will conclude its historic 10,500-mile journey at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in New York City — the very tunnel Stephen Siller ran through 25 years ago to reach the World Trade Center.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America tour brought a 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center to the Ellipse on Sept. 8. Photo by Robert Devaney.
