Retired FDNY World Trade Center Recovery Worker Dan D, and 9/11 Family Member Cynthia O. share their personal stories of September 11th in their 9/11 Tribute Museum presentation of We Were There on stage at the National September 11th Memorial Museum.
Dan was an off-duty battalion chief with the FDNY on 9/11, and responded to his firehouse immediately when he heard about the attacks. He arrived at the scene shortly after the North Tower fell. He talks about the feelings of helplessness in initially approaching the Pile with just small hand tools, and witnessing the best and worst of humanity in the 6 months that he worked for the cleanup effort. He talks about the overwhelming amount of love and support from volunteers, and says that 9/11 was about coming together in compassion. Dan emphasizes the importance of giving children a better world to inherit, and that it is everyone's responsibility to be the best person they can be to do so.
Cynthia's husband, Lance Tumulty, was killed at the moment of impact of the second plane. He worked on the 84th floor of the South Tower, and had called just moments before to tell Cynthia that he was fine. She talks about the controlled chaos of her family in the first few days after the attacks, and the roles that all her family and friends took on to help cope with the disaster. She also describes the profound moment when her brother-in-law returned from putting up posters in the city, and knowing from his face that Lance would not be coming home. She ends her story with lyrics from The Dance by Garth Brooks, the song that she and her family sang that night in the backyard.