Dr. Dennis Denenberg - 50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet

9/11 HEROES

W e call the tragic event "nine eleven" but usually write it as 9/11. For many young people it is confusing because the phone number to call in case of an emergency is 911. It is ironic that the two versions of that number are so connected.

On September 11, 2001, the emergency number 911 was called countless times by Americans who were frightened. Why? Because the United States was under attack.

At first, as the events unfolded, we were even unaware it was an attack. We simply did not know what was happening. A passenger jet flew into one of the famous twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. The media immediately started presenting the story, when suddenly - on live TV - a second jet crashed into the second twin tower. Anyone who saw the event will never forget it. Then word came about a jet crashing into the Pentagon (our military headquarters) just outside of Washington, DC. Finally, a fourth jet was reported to have crashed in a field near Shanksville, PA.

Were the four crashes connected? How many people were killed in the planes - and in the buildings into which the jets flew? WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

Ask anyone who is 15 and older what they remember of that September day in 2001. You will hear story after story of how scared they were, that they didnt understand the crashes, and maybe that they even knew someone who worked in one of the WTC towers.

For days Americans were glued to their TVs as the images were replayed and new details and new images emerged. Few moments in modern history have brought the nation together in fear and sadness. December 7, 1941 -when your grandparents and great grandparents heard the news on their radios of the attack on Pearl Harbor. November 22, 1963 - when anyone you know who is over 50 years old heard the news that President John F. Kennedy had been killed. And now, forever in our national memory, September 11, 2001 nine eleven.

We hope you will read and learn about 9/11 because it has changed the world forever. What it also did was bring the word HEROES back to our attention. Sadly, before 9/11 it seemed that the only heroes kids like you knew about were the fictional heroes found in cartoons and comic books and movies. We dont need to list them - they still get plenty of attention. While fantasy heroes can be entertaining, they cant save your life! But REAL heroes can - and the REAL heroes of 9/11 did save many lives. And hundreds of REAL heroes died while saving lives. Just as the 50 famous American heroes you will meet in this book made the world a better place, so too did the HEROES of 9/11. We want to introduce several of them to you. These people represent only a few of the many men and women who reminded us all of how unselfish and caring our fellow humans can be.

While many of the Heroes of 9/11 were "first responders" (firefighters, police officers, and EMT's), a number of the heroes were simply people who cared about trying to save others. When they suddenly found themselves in a dangerous situation, they found the courage to act heroically.

Think about what they did. Would you find the "hero within yourself" to do what they did? It's a very tough question, isn't it? We may be lucky enough in life never to face that question for real. So, let's thank those brave people who did have to answer it, and the best way we can do so is to honor their memory by telling their stories.

Digital edition published in the United States of America by Dennis Denenberg and Lorraine Roscoe

Copyright 2001, 2006, 2011 by Dennis Denenberg and Lorraine Roscoe

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without prior written permission of the authors, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Denenberg, Dennis, 1947

50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet / by Dennis Denenberg, & Lorraine Roscoe.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-0822573586

Paperback ISBN: 978-0761395485

Digital Edition ISBN: 978-1612000886

1. Heroes - United States - Biography - Juvenile literature. 2. United States - Biography - Juvenile Literature.

5 Heroes To Remember This September 11

by Cassy Fiano
(written in 2010, used with permission)

N ine years ago, our country was changed forever. On a sunny September day, we were hit by a series of coordinated Al Qaeda attacks, killing almost 3,000 innocent Americans in cold blood. Much of that day will always be remembered with feelings of horror, shock, fear, and sadness. 19 terrorists hijacked four planes. The World Trade Center in New York City was first hit. The twin towers were followed by the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The fourth plane was allegedly intended to hit the White House, but passengers fought the hijackers and crashed the plane into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The World Trade Center got the worst of the attacks, with the twin towers ultimately collapsing and destroying many other buildings in the area.

Across the country, we watched in horror as the towers collapsed. We cried as we saw people leap from the towers to their deaths in a desperate attempt to escape the flames. We listened in shock to the phone calls of the passengers on board the hijacked planes, and wept as we heard them tell their families they loved them one last time. So much of that day will always be a mix of grief, sorrow, fear, and anger.

However, there were also feelings of pride and unity that arose from the flames. We read the heroic stories and watched with pride as ordinary citizens went above and beyond the call of duty to help their fellow Americans. As horrible as 9-11 was, it reminded many of us of what makes this country so great.

This year, I wanted to spotlight just a few of the incredible heroes of that fateful day. Some of them were police officers and firefighters; others were ordinary Americans just like you and me. All of them gave their lives that day; all of them deserve to be remembered.

Moira Smith, NYPD

Officer Moira Smith was a 13 year veteran of the New York Police Department. She was married to another NYPD officer, Jimmy Smith, and had a two-year-old daughter named Patricia. Officer Smith had shown heroism in the line of duty before, earning the Police Department's Distinguished Duty Medal for her actions during the Aug. 27, 1991 subway crash in Union Square in which five were killed and more than 130 hurt. She saved dozens of lives that day, and on September 11, she would selflessly risk her life again to help other victims get out safely.

"She was oh, God " Charles Barbuti, a lieutenant in the 13th Precinct and Smith's friend, paused before continuing. "I would have to describe Moira as active, dedicated, courageous. We had indications that on a number of occasions she had come out of the World Trade Center, carrying people out, then gone back in. She had the opportunity to leave and she chose not to."

"She was a lot of fun," Barbuti said. She was vivacious, she was fun-loving, she was a joy to be around. That may sound like a cliche, speaking well of people who have passed, but in her case, it was true. She made everyone around her feel comfortable. Everyone liked her. No one had a harsh word to say about her."

Smith put her life in danger to rescue people trapped in the World Trade Center, and ultimately, made the ultimate sacrifice that day. She was posthumously awarded the New York City Police Department's Medal of Honor for her heroism that day. Her remains were recovered in March of 2002, and an East River high-speed ferry was named for her. Of the 23 NYPD officers killed on September 11, she was the only female. She was finally laid to rest on what would have been her 39th birthday.