Certain days stand out as turning points in human history. For the 21st century, September 11, 2001, is undoubtedly one of those decisive dates that shaped our understanding of the world we live in today.

Over the past 25 years, numerous analyses and reflections have explored global geopolitics, shifts in U.S. foreign policy, and how that tragic day transformed relations between the West and the Islamic world. However, alongside these broader narratives, there are more intimate and deeply personal stories—stories interwoven with the daily lives of thousands of people.

These are the stories of the survivors, the families and friends of the victims, and those who fell ill after the tragedy. Above all, they are the stories of the true heroes who risked, and all too often lost, their lives to save others, performing acts of bravery and selflessness that still move us today.

Among them were the New York City firefighters. Three hundred and forty-three of them perished that day, becoming an enduring symbol of strength and resilience: men and women who refused to yield to evil, giving everything, even their lives, to help others.

Twenty-five years later, Daniel Nigro, chief of operations for the New York City Fire Department at the time of the attacks, shares his reflections on this anniversary, as well as his hopes for the future of New York, the United States, and his fellow firefighters.

Q: Commander Daniel Nigro, you assumed command of the New York City Fire Department on September 11th after the death of your friend, Chief Peter Ganci, in the collapse of the North Tower. That day you lost 343 colleagues. Twenty-five years later, what does reaching this anniversary mean to you personally?

Well, it never goes out of style; the sadness, 25 years later, is still the same. Sometimes I’m amazed I’m still here. I’m not young anymore, and so many died that day. And so many have died since then from illnesses related to the World Trade Center. I think of every one of the colleagues we lost and the poor civilians who died and all that has been lost in these 25 years. I’ve been fortunate enough to see my daughters’ weddings, my grandchildren’s births… My friends and others never got to experience that, and I can’t help but feel sad this year and every year.

Q: You mentioned something that’s probably not very well known outside the United States. Thousands of people, including many firefighters, developed cancer and other illnesses in the years after 9/11, and many of them, sadly, passed away. What would you like the public to understand about this so-called “second wave” of 9/11-related deaths?

It was something we knew: the situation there, the air we breathed, and its potential toxicity. But for firefighters, it’s our way of life, and we, myself included, spent months down there trying to recover the remains of as many victims as possible. Because of our work there, we’ve gotten sick. I think we’ve lost almost 500 members of the Fire Department. The Police Department has lost many members, and many of us are battling various types of cancer, myself included. Thank God I’m okay now, but it seems to be the story after 9/11. When will they get sick, and what will they get sick from? It’s just a sad footnote to a terrible day. If the day could get any worse, it was because of that. We all remember those who have passed away in recent years from illness, and we do so every year.

Q: In your opinion, what changed in the Fire Department and in the culture and spirit of New York City in the weeks following 9/11? I mean a change that continues to this day, something that perhaps forever changed the work of New York City firefighters.

Well, we had to cope with the loss of many experienced members of the Department, its leadership, and rebuild it, which we did. The mission of the Fire Department remains the same: to serve the public, save lives, and protect property, and that hasn’t changed. Perhaps we do it in a slightly different way now. We have better tools and better technology, but the members remain committed and dedicated to serving the public, risking their lives for others. That’s what the Fire Department has been doing here in New York since 1865.

Q: There’s a statistic that really struck me: more than 100 million Americans were born after September 11, 2001. They never experienced 9/11 firsthand. How important is memory in this context, and how can we help these new generations of Americans and New Yorkers understand what happened that day?

Well, I understand that a large part of the population wasn’t even born then. I myself was born a few years after Pearl Harbor. I knew what it was, but I’m sure my experience wasn’t the same as my parents’ generation, who lived through it firsthand. So I understand that people don’t grasp the situation in the same way, but we try to spread the message: what that day was like, the impact it had on the city, on the country, on the world. Some understand, some don’t, and I understand that as long as we do our job of telling the story, which is what I’m trying to do today, of course, we’re keeping the promise we made then to never forget. We meant never forgetting those who died, never forgetting those who sacrificed their lives or those who lost them needlessly. They simply went to work that day and were suddenly attacked and killed.

Q: And what would you like younger firefighters, those who weren’t born on September 11 or were too young to remember it, to understand about that terrible day and the sacrifices of their colleagues?

Well, everyone knows the story. We make sure to teach it at our Fire Academy when we hire new people. Before they graduate, we take them to Ground Zero, which we call the World Trade Center site, to see the memorial, hear the story firsthand, and tour the museum to learn about it and understand that the members who came before them sacrificed their lives for those who were attacked in the Twin Towers. And that’s what this department is all about: sadly, when you put other people’s lives before your own, you can lose yours. And they understand that, and they understand what happened that day. So we’re doing our job in that regard. And I just hope that most of the learning focuses on the innocent people who lost their lives, whether they were working in the Twin Towers, working at the Pentagon, or the first responders who came to their aid and also lost their lives. That’s the important thing we need to remember.

Q: On anniversaries, we remember the victims, the survivors, and the acts of heroism. And that’s especially true on a day like September 11th. But then, quite naturally, life goes back to normal. How would you like that sacrifice to be honored, not just on this day, but throughout the year?

Many people use the anniversary of 9/11 to show solidarity, which is a wonderful gesture, whether by providing food or performing other acts of generosity. I hope that sometimes we need to reflect and acknowledge that we cannot change what happened that day. It happened. It was a terrible day. But how can we honor those who died in a better way? The way to do that is by being generous, kind, considerate, and avoiding hatred and resentment. I hope that is the message after 9/11: let us remember those who died while we still can. And as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation says, while we can, let us do good. And that is a powerful message.

By Alessandro Gisotti. Vatican News