On Tuesday morning September 11th 2001, 2,977 people would lose their lives at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, PA, and in lower Manhattan at the World Trade Center in a deliberate attack on America. In those moments, we witnessed the absolute worst of mankind, but only seconds later, we witnessed the absolute best of mankind with the incredible American fighting spirit that makes this country what it is.
My name is Lloyd and I am a proud retired FDNY Firefighter who responded to the attacks in lower Manhattan on that dreadful day. What we saw and tried to do as the FDNY was an insurmountable task and everyone did the best they could against some very difficult circumstances. The loss of life all around us is something that you can never get past… almost 25 years later and it still haunts us. You cannot wash this from your soul and it will not rinse away, you instead learn to live with it and the decisions that you made to do whatever needed to be done at each given moment for the respect of the deceased.
As the 25th anniversary of those heinous attacks is moving upon us we find ourselves recommitting to the promise to Never Forget.
In 2026, I will be making a 2,977 mile journey to “Let Us Remember the 2,977”. I will walk/run/skate/bike 1 mile for each of these souls. This journey has no timeline, but started on 1/1/2026 with 11.16 miles walked. Each new day we will add some more miles until we achieve 2,977 miles. Please join me on this journey to honor all those lost on September 11, 2001 by donating $29.77 or whatever you can give to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation through our annual Tunnel to Towers Triangle 5K Run & Walk platform. You will be able to donate online through a campaign on our 5K Run website as well as can send checks to the Foundation using the following address: Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Attention: Colleen Grace/Lloyd's Journey, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. Thank you for never forgetting.
