Hundreds of first responders, family members and others gathered in the rain at the United States Military Academy at West Point Tuesday, Sept. 1, to view, touch and, in some cases, offer a prayer before an original steel beam from the World Trade Center.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation brought the steel beam to West Point as part of its Steel Across America tour, which has made stops in more than 40 cities across 21 states since it began at the World Trade Center on May 2. The tour will conclude back in New York City on Sept. 11.
The beam, salvaged from the south tower of the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 attacks 25 years ago, weighs almost 17,000 pounds and is transported on a flatbed truck.
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The Tunnel Towers Foundation was created by Frank Siller in honor of his brother, Steven Siller, a member of the FDNY who died in the Sept. 11 attacks after running throughttps://www.lohud.com/story/travel/2026/04/08/west-point-offers-visitors-military-sweep-from-revolution-to-present-united-states-military-academy/89139491007/h the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to get to the World Trade Center. The foundation provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families and families of fallen first responders with young children. It also builds specially adapted smart homes for injured veterans and first responders.
"We knew the steel had to be here at West Point," said Siller. "Being here today, I was overcome with emotion because 25 years ago my brother gave his life, and his body was never recovered. There’s a piece of him in that steel."
The event included a ceremony attended by Lt. General James Bartholomees, Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, first responders from throughout the regions, as well as several recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Steel beam from World Trade Center 9/11 attack displayed at West Point
