Free Republic

Source: Photo/Salena ZitoSHANKSVILLE, Pennsylvania -- The first thing you notice about Frank Siller is the resolve in his mission. Each step he takes along Shanksville Road on the outskirts of this Somerset County town is done with purpose. The sound the steps make is a forward motion; there is no hint of retreat. You can imagine it is a trait he shared with his brother Stephen who, 20 years ago in his capacity as New York City firefighter, went running toward the burning World Trade Center twin towers in the early moments following the deadly terrorist attacks on Sept. 11,...

This piece is co-authored with Mr. Jimmy Greene and Mr. Allen West.Since our founding in 1776, the United States or her territories have been attacked 16 times before September 11, 2001. Unlike military attacks by foreign powers in 1812 (Great Britain) and 1941 (Japan), September 11, 2001 was an attack on the United States by terrorists; not a foreign country but a group of 19 radical individuals from four countries that took exception with America's free, open and inclusive society. WHY THEY ATTACKED USAmerica stood for the promise of inalienable rights for all…for life, liberty, private property and the pursuit...

Frank Siller is on a mission and headed to the World Trade Center. His mission is to spread the word about the good works of the Tunnel to Towers Stephen Siller Foundation. He is walking 537 miles through six states after starting out three weeks ago from a firehouse whose members responded to the Pentagon on 9/11. He will follow in his brother’s foot steps to Ground Zero.My wife, Patty, joined Frank on his trek. Her hero brother FDNY LT Joe Leavey also ran into the South Tower and never came home. Historic roads led them to the Flight 93...

Dulles, Virginia – For only the second time in 18 years, I will not be in New York City this weekend. The annual Tunnel to Towers Run, normally scheduled for the last Sunday in September, is another casualty of COVID. The mayor’s regulations continue to keep businesses closed and tourists away. And with residents moving out, they also seem to have dampened the city’s famous fighting spirit that I first came to know as a student at New York University.  It’s ironic that the Tunnel to Towers Run was forced to cancel, because it is anything but a salute to...