Inspiring: 40k people honor 9/11 first responders

“There's some good in this world,” said Sam Gamgee in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, “and it's worth fighting for.”

This past week has been a dark one. Chaos and dysfunction in Congress were quickly swallowed up and forgotten, overshadowed by darker news from the Middle East: Hamas, an evil, Nazi-esqeu terrorist group, launched a murderous invasion into Israel, slaughtering innocents, raping women, decapitating babies, and mutilating bodies in an unprecedented act of war and barbarism. Add an endless war in Ukraine, Chinese military aggression, and a humanitarian crisis on America’s southern border, and it appears we have never been closer to World War III.

But even in the darkness, there are glimmers of hope—reminders, as Tolkien wrote, that “in the end the Shadow [is] only a small and passing thing: there [is] light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

One such reminder came recently from New York City, where a staggering 40,000 Americans gathered to honor 9/11 first responders at the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K race.

On September 11, 2001, Firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller was off duty and heading to a game of golf when he learned a plane had hit the World Trade Center. “Immediately abandoning his plans, Stephen drove to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, which was closed for security purposes and as a result strapped 60lbs of equipment on his back and ran on foot to the Twin Towers to assist his emergency services colleagues,” according to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. He called his wife, informed her he may run late to his game—and was never seen again.

“Stephen made the ultimate sacrifice and tragically lost his life during the events of that day,” the Foundation describes. “As a result of his heroics and admirable bravery, his family established The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which [honors] the sacrifice Stephen made and also military personnel, emergency services and first responders. A run/walk is now held annually in New York to [honor] the final steps that Stephen took and is widely [recognized] as one of the top 5k runs in America.”

SEE ALSO: The heroes who died just doin' what they do…

Every year since 9/11, runners have participated in the race honoring Stephen and other heroes, beginning with 1,500 participants in 2002 and growing to tens of thousands at this year’s event.

“When we lost him that day, we knew we had to do something to honor what he did,” declared Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Foundation and brother of the late Stephen Siller.

“Let it be our promise here today—our contract with America—that when these great men and women, who protect our communities or our country… give their kids a kiss goodbye, and they do not come home, we are going to take care of them.”

“It’s the least that we can do,” agreed one attendee, whose family proudly honored the fallen Augusto “Augie” Acabou. “They paid the ultimate price, and we’re here to back them up and their families.” 

WATCH more about the event here.

These inspiring stories remind us that we have encountered evil before, and we have overcome it. We must never forget the heroism of those first responders who stepped up to protect us that day, nor the price they paid. Every day, their stories ought to remind us that there indeed is some good in this world, and it is always worth fighting for.