The MEMO Blog

Tim Brown was an FDNY firefighter for 20 years when he responded to the World Trade Center, barely surviving the collapse of the South Tower.   

Naveed Shah was a middle school student in Springfield, VA on 9/11. The attacks inspired him to serve; he enlisted in the Army after graduating high school and was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and 2010.

Jan Demczur, a window washer at the North Tower, used his squeegee to help 6 men escape an elevator on 9/11.

Josephine Smith is the first daughter of a firefighter killed on 9/11 to join the FDNY. 

Guest blogger Valerie Arnold is a junior at Fordham University who interned in our Government & Community Affairs department this summer. Here, she reflects on the experience. 

With the help of Team Red, White, and Blue and TD Bank, we honored veterans and continued our mission to never forget this year.

9/11 Memorial & Museum President & CEO Beth Hillman visited Bronx and Queens communities deeply affected by 9/11.

Coinciding with Black History Month 2024, we launched a special short film exploring the impact of 9/11 and the unprecedented response on the Black community. The film is the first in a series designed to look at lesser known aspects of the 9/11 narrative and legacy. 

In the second installment of our series highlighting the archival work funded by the Shelby White & Leon Levy Foundation, guest blogger Samantha Spiller discusses her role as a collections technician. 

Richard Thornton is a NY Waterway Captain who participated in the largest waterborne evacuation in American history, when an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people were transported to safety on 9/11.