WEBVTT - Episode 28: Remembering 9/11 with Frank Siller 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.600 Up next The Truth with Lisa Both part of the 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:10.480 Welcome Back to the Truth with Lisa Booth. I can't 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:13.520 believe that we are coming up on the twentieth anniversary 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:17.279 of one of America's darkest days, almost twenty years ago, 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:21.560 September eleventh, two thousand one. We all remember the deadliest 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:25.040 terror attack in history, leaving two thousand, nine seventy seven 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:27.840 people dead. It was an act of war by Al 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:31.160 Qaeda terrorists. The images of people jumping to their desk 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:34.599 from the burning Twin Towers will forever be etched memories. 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:37.760 We will never forget what those Islamist terrorists did to 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:41.760 our fellow Americans. But what stood out on that darkest 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:46.720 day was the bravery of so many Americans, ordinary Americans 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:49.919 risking their lives to save others they didn't know if 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.159 they would make it as the buildings burned down around them, 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:56.360 Or the passengers on United Airlines Flight ninety three who 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.200 fought back to take the plane down. One of those men, 0:00:59.280 --> 0:01:02.120 Tom Burnett, called his wife to say, I know we're 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:04.520 all going to die. There's three of us who are 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:07.080 going to do something about it. I love you, honey. 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:10.440 Can you imagine being Tom Burnett being that brave or 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.959 receiving that phone call that his wife did hearing those words. 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.840 We all know what happened next, the plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:20.880 rather than it's intended target. Tom Burnett's a hero. So 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:24.559 many ordinary Americans were heroes that day. The first responders 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:28.039 who ran into danger to save lives, seeing the unknown 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:30.200 in front of them, knowing that they could die, but 0:01:30.240 --> 0:01:33.400 they ran into danger. The first responders who ran into 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:37.720 danger to save lives, who gave everything. Three hundred and 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:41.679 forty three New York City firefighters, twenty three New York 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:46.160 City Police officers, thirty seven Port Authority officers all lost 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:49.840 their lives, and thousands have died since due to health 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:53.120 complications because they ran into the fire. They ran into 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:56.720 danger to save lives, to risk it all. And then 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.880 there were heroes like Frank Siller, who has dedicated his 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.520 life to make a difference, for the heroes who gave everything, 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:05.800 For the heroes who risked their health to risk their 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:09.280 lives to save people. Frank's brother, Stephen Stiller, was one 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:12.280 of those brave firefighters who ran into the danger to 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:15.440 save lives. He died that day. He didn't have to 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:17.200 do it. He had already finished a shift. He was 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:19.480 actually on his way to play golf with his brothers 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:21.960 when he had heard about a plane hitting the North 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:24.360 Tower of the World Trade Center. But he chose to 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.400 go and save lives, to risk his own life, to 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.640 give his life in honor of Stephen's memory, Frank Stiller 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:34.400 started the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.840 honoring Stephen's sacrifice as well as a sacrifice of so 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:41.000 many military men and women and our first responders, as 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.680 well as wounded in military men and women. In one alone, 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:48.600 Tunnel to Towers Foundation will deliver two hundred mortgage payoffs 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.520 in mortgage free homes to our nation's heroes and their families, 0:02:51.840 --> 0:02:54.639 two hundred in one year alone. No one does more 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:57.359 to honor heroes and pay it forward than Frank Stiller 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.960 and the Tunnel to Tower Foundations. He is truly attack 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.720 estimate to a purpose driven life, and I have had 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:05.000 the honor of meeting him as well. He has a 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:07.320 tremendous human being, one of the kindest guys you will 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:09.400 ever meet in your entire life, and it is an 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:13.240 absolute honor to have him as my guest on this episode, 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:16.640 on such a special episode, as we remember the following, 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.000 as we never forget, as we honor those who paid 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:22.560 the ultimate sacrifice, like his brother Steven Stiller, who was 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:26.840 a hero who gave his life to try to save others. So, Frank, 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:30.520 you are such a testament to living a purpose driven life. 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:33.840 Tunnel to Towers has helped so many people. You are 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:36.760 also an exceptionally kind man. I have had the honor 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.880 to meet you at Fox H so it is an 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:42.400 honor to have you on the show. Thank you, Lisa, 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:44.520 and I appreciate the fact that you do have me 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:48.320 on because part of the reason why I'm walking this 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:52.600 swalk seven miles to make sure that people listen and 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:55.280 they don't forget what happened twenty years ago. And that's 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.840 so crazy. I I just I can't even believe that 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:02.000 we're coming up on twenty years since Timber eleven two one, 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:07.200 almost three thousand lives were taken by al Qaeda terrorists. 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.320 I was in high school. I still remember seeing everything 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:14.360 unfold on TV, just in complete disbelief and fear, uh 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:16.880 and just so worried about the future of the country. 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:19.640 Take us back to that day for you. What was 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.240 that day like for you? You know, Lisia, I was 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:25.360 in my kitchen waiting for my brother Stephen, New York 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:28.279 City firefighters to come to my house. We were going 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:30.640 to play golf with my brother Rush, my brother George. 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:33.760 It was you know, everyone remembers it was maybe the 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:38.000 best day ever weatherwise, so we were all excited. But then, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.800 you know, it all changed in a moment's notice. The 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:42.919 towel was hit. My brother heard it. He was on 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:45.839 his way home from Squad one in Brooklyn. He was 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:48.760 on his radio. He heard it, turned around and went 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.360 back to his fire house and got his gear and 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:55.400 drilled to the mouth of Brooklyn Battery Tunnel where he 0:04:55.920 --> 0:04:58.359 was closer to security reasons. So you know, and I 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:00.800 witness told me that his car came to a screeching 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:04.040 hall and and what he did was he strapped the 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:08.160 gearran and ran into the tunnel. And you know, we 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:09.960 didn't know he did that on nine eleven. So you 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.919 asked me how what what happened that day? And I 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:18.320 will tell you that I was uh frantic, uh, not 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:21.040 knowing what happened, not knowing that Stephen got there and night, 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:22.960 but I believed that he would figure a way to 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.039 get there, because that's just the type of person he was, 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.360 but not just him. That's with fire fighters and cops 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:29.680 and men and women uniform do all the time. They're 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.359 running right into danger. And I tried to piece the 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:35.960 day together, and finally I got a call by five 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:37.719 fighter that lived a couple of doors away from my 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:40.720 brother Stephen, and his name is Richie Obemyah, and he said, 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.719 frank I wanted to let you know that Steven's on 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:45.839 the list of missing five fighters. And I said, okay, 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:47.840 rich thank you. I said, I've been trying to call 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:51.919 him all day and without success, and uh, you know, 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:53.719 I was hoping that, you know, he was just not 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:58.280 answering because obvious reasons. They were fighting the biggest fire 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:02.000 and the largest rescue mission ever. So he goes, I, 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:04.920 Frankie know it's really bad, Danny. I know, rich I said, 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.080 I know, I could see it. I've been talking to 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:10.240 a lot of firefighters. I know it's really bad. He goes, no, 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:12.520 Frankie's bad. I said, rich I know it's bad. He goes, no, 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:19.840 frank it's bad. Nobody's coming home. And uh, I was. 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.720 You know, that's when the real realization was set in 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.240 and I went in the other room. I had my 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:32.200 sisters there, my uh, two of my brothers, my son, 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.840 my family, and I had to go in the other 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:38.080 room and tell him what I was just told. And 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:42.320 when I did, my sister Gina let out an unbelievable 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:46.640 cry roll on our knees. But then we got up 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:49.280 off our knees and we went to my sister in 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.280 law's house and did what we were supposed to do. 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:55.560 Stop being there for the people that we love to 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:57.960 give the sounds you're here in the background because I'm 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:01.920 on my walk right now. Um. They never forget walk, 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.440 So you're hearing the sounds of New Jersey. I'm walking 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:09.160 towards uh um Jersey City. H and I'll be there 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:13.760 sometime later today. But so that what happened on nine eleven, 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:17.000 and then when we found out what Stephen did and 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.280 that he ran through the tunnel, that we knew as 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:22.240 a family that we needed to start and do something 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:25.200 to recognize his heroic act. This when we started the 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:28.360 Tunnel to taoas foundation quick commercial break and then more 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:36.960 about Tunnel to Towers on the other side. You had 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:41.160 mentioned right now you're on a seven mile walk from 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:44.680 the Pentagon to ground zero, six states and over six weeks. 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:49.160 They never forget walk. I imagine it's been both emotionally 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.840 and physically exhausting. As you remember your brother Stephen, a 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:56.000 hero who ran into the towers to try to save lives. 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.160 What has this walk been like for you? What what 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.720 does it meant to you? Well? I thought it was 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:05.360 going to be a very emotional and spiritual walk, and 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:08.000 it's been more than I ever thought it would be. 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.120 I just have the the Fire Department Newer to New 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:16.080 Jersey film. I'm on an interview guys. All right, Tom 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:17.840 would agree right with you in a minute. All right, 0:08:18.480 --> 0:08:21.200 um to shake of my hand. We get this all over. 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:25.920 So it's part answering your question. I have everyday citizens. 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:29.480 I have police department's, fire departments, you name it that 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:33.319 everywhere we go, and I go uh throughout this journey. 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.079 And I started at the Pentagon on August first. I 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:39.800 made it up to Shanksville, Pennsylvania on August one, and 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:43.840 now I'll be ground Zero for the anniversary and I'll 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:48.199 be you know, retracing Steven's final roads footsteps that morning 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:51.560 early that morning. But it's been glorious and you know 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:54.880 what people yelling at a card, never forget. I love America. 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:57.559 The American flags that are going all over the place. 0:08:57.880 --> 0:09:01.720 I'm just in eastern Pennsylvania. Three hundreds high school kids 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:06.480 with their marching bands were just like it grove me 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:10.000 to my name's literally watching all these young kids. And 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.440 that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to get 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.880 the message to younger families, to younger kids. You know 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:19.080 what happened twenty years ago, what happened to America, That 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.520 Islamic terrorists try to kill as many Americans as possible, 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:25.760 and they did kill two thousand, nine hundred seventy seven 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:30.680 and uh, I cannot be forgotten. And so so the 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.920 journey has been magnificent, and the mission has been one 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:36.240 to make sure that we shine a big light on 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.320 what happened, and it has been successful. And you talk 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.520 about the young people that come up to you, you know, 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.480 those high school students, what do you tell them about 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.800 why it's important to never forget? Well, first of all, 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.960 I tell them not just stories. My brother, there's so 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:54.280 many heroes that they you know Stephens symbolic of the 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:57.000 heroism of nine eleven. I mean, there were so many 0:09:57.040 --> 0:10:01.240 acts of garbage. It's it's incredible and uh and I 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:04.000 and I tell them, I said, look, people just went 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:06.880 to work that day and they didn't come home and 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:11.120 their families, uh, didn't have their loved one anymore because 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:14.920 people try to kill kill us and they did, and 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:17.240 we got to make sure that that doesn't happen again. 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:19.800 And that's why we have the military, that we have 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.520 an age appropriate you know. I mean, if they're ten 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.640 years old, I'm not going to tell them that's all 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:27.720 that stuff. But if they're in high school, especially if 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:31.880 the studios and seniors, I'm gonna be brutally honest. And 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:34.120 I said, we can't let this happen again. And that's 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:38.439 why we went to walk and over seven thousand, seven 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:41.880 thousand men and women have given their life for our country. 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:44.480 I said, does anybody here know that and believe it 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.920 or not? Some do raise their hand and they say yes, 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:51.199 And I said, well everybody here should should know. When 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:56.600 I was in Morristown, Uh, Morristown, New Jersey, uh, two 0:10:56.679 --> 0:11:00.560 days ago and we had a big parade. Thousands, thousands 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:03.280 of people were there. It was beautiful. I asked how 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:06.880 many people have been to Shanks Hill and not all. 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:09.880 You'd be surprised on little hands weren't up that we're 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:12.440 in Shankful, Pennsylvania. And I said, you gotta go there, 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:14.840 you gotta go there. And let me tell you when 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.640 I was there on August one, and I was with 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:20.320 a group of New York City firefighters and we went 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:23.640 to the actual location where that plane was taken down 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:27.240 by the great heroes of Light ninety three, all forty 0:11:27.280 --> 0:11:30.040 of them that took that plane down the first battle 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:32.280 in the War on terrorism. And we won because they 0:11:32.320 --> 0:11:34.760 took that plane back and they saved lives on on 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:37.240 the ground, and they have a boulder right there. And 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:40.319 I knelt down to say a prayer, and every firefighter 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:43.160 knelt down with me, and we put our hands on 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:46.240 that boulder and we said the Lord's Prayer. I will 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:48.880 tell you the emotions were gushing out of all of 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:52.280 us because we were thinking about those forty great Americans. 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:56.480 We were thinking about my brother, we were thinking about 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:59.560 their firefighter friends, we were thinking about all the two 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.600 thousand and seventy seven families, and how about we were 0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:04.880 thinking of the seven thousand families that die for our 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.640 country we ever since. So if you were coming overcome 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:10.800 with emotion being at that site and that live and 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:14.079 and it was just so emotional emotional. It's today, I'll 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.920 never forget the rest of my life. So everyone should 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.800 go to Shanksville. It will help tell the story of 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.280 what happened on nine eleven. Every One should go to 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.000 the Pentagon and everyone should go to Ground zero, into 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:29.160 that beautiful museum that they that they did down at 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:32.600 the ground zero, and and teach your kids. Tell teach 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.560 your kids the truth what happened. That's all you have 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:39.280 to do. Just tell the truth. Don't sugarcoat it. Just 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:41.000 tell the truth because we want to make sure it 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.880 doesn't happen again. Well, and we've talked about your your 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:47.280 brother Stephen, which is why you started tunnel two towers. 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.560 He was zero. He was one of those three hundred 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:52.600 and forty three New York City firefighters who died saving 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:56.080 lives in the aftermath at nine eleven. He was a husband, 0:12:56.160 --> 0:12:59.719 a brother, a father. What was Stephen like as a 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:02.880 brother or what was he like? It was crazy, that truth. 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.560 He was a good crazy. Uh he was a dynamic 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:11.120 human being. Um, I'll give you one real quick story. Uh. 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:14.520 So he went to a meat loaf concert. And uh, 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.839 he loved meet Love. He loved the thorough good you know, 0:13:17.880 --> 0:13:19.640 bad to the bows. He used to make play that 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.640 song for my son all the time and um so, 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.480 but during this concert he he you know, he just 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:28.760 loves it. Is so emotional. He jumps on stage. Now 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:33.240 everybody else would have been arrested, and he caught it away. 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:36.840 He got right to the microphone with meat Loaf and 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.560 sang a song with him, and and then when he 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.640 was finished, he just ran and jumped off the stage 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:45.360 with the people's arms. He was he was just full 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:48.920 of that type of love and enthusiasm for everything. But 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:52.120 he loved being in New York City. Firefighter, he knew, 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:56.360 he loved a family. He loved the brotherhood. Look, my brother, 0:13:56.760 --> 0:14:00.160 my parents were gone by the time he was ten 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:01.959 years old. My died died when he was eight and 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:05.160 a half, and a year and half later my mom died. 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:08.120 He was blessed that he had older siblings. We raised 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.480 him by me. Really, my brother Russ who bla blas 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.680 who sold passed away about a year ago. He lived 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.960 in rock Call Center. But he knew Stephen knew the 0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:20.840 importance of every single day you're not guaranteed anything. So 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.560 he lived life to it's fullest. And h he told 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:28.160 us all how to live, and he told us all 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.000 how to die. You give your life up to somebody 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.040 else who does that, and he did. We just wanted 0:14:34.080 --> 0:14:36.520 to honor, uh, you know what he did. So he 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:39.800 was an outrageous human being. To to answer your question, 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:44.480 and Tunnelton Towers has just helped so many people. As 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:47.600 I mentioned previously, you are truly living a purpose driven 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:50.080 life with your mission and what you've accomplished with Tunnel 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:52.960 to Towers. You know, why did you started and when 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:55.600 did you started? We started it right away in December 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:58.400 two thousand and one. We we knew we had to 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:01.920 do something just to u just on a h. Stephen 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:05.920 and what he did, we didn't know, Lisa. We did 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:07.760 not know all the work that we were going to 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:11.080 be doing. We did not know it. The first several years, 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:14.640 we helped children that that of the first respondents that 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:17.360 died in the line of duty by giving them like 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:21.840 stipends for education or you know along those lines. And 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:23.480 it wasn't a lot of money, but it was good. 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:25.720 We were very proud of what we're doing. Of course, 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.160 our first mission was to make sure we never forget, 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:30.760 and we did that by having the tunnels of Towers 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.280 run always the last Sunday in September. We'll have forty 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:40.280 thousand people there this year running through that tunnel September UM. 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.520 So you know, that was our mission until two thousand 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:47.040 and eleven, first ever quadruple empathy to ever survive any war. 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.640 Sergeant Brenda Baracco was from my hometown, Stephen's hometown where 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.040 he was born, to Staten Island, and we went down. 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:56.400 We visited Brendan at Walter Reid and I asked him 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:59.240 if total of towns to build him home and would 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:02.600 go to Momorgage Free home. And it changed everything because 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:04.920 there were so many of these guys that were surviving 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:08.440 on the battlefield that we never survived another wars. And 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:12.120 they had a nonbelievable need what they needed in these 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:15.480 especially adapted smart homes, so we built over a hundred 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:18.760 of them. And then when detectives Low and Ramos were 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:23.920 assassinated in New York uh two thousands of December, just 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.320 because they were cops, that's it came. Somebody crazy person 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.480 came up from Maryland and just shot him in the 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:31.640 back of the head. Sitting in the squad cart just 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.160 because they were cops. We heard that they were worried 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.040 about their mortgages, and we paid off their mortgage and 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:40.160 we renovated their homes and we saw the difference that made. 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:42.720 So now you know, by the end of this year, Lisa, 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:45.600 four hundred and fifty mortgage free homes. We will have 0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:49.480 delivered two hundred this year alone. And but there's a 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:51.480 lot more work that we we have to do. And 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:54.760 this is our promise. Listen, and and we need America 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:58.040 to join us on this mission that if somebody goes 0:16:58.080 --> 0:17:00.800 to serve their country, well they community and give their 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.480 kids a kiss goodbye and they don't come home. Total 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:05.240 the Towers are going to take care of the families 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:08.640 left behind. We're gonna gift them, deliver them a mortgage 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.960 free home. You could only do it if people join 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.720 us and go to T two T dot org and 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:17.000 donate as a little as eleven dollars a month. And 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:20.080 I don't think that's too much to ask. Every American 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:22.480 you know turns around and says, oh, the government should 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:24.840 do this, Oh this, they should do that. Who's gonna 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:27.200 take care of that family? And they feel bad about it. Well, 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.919 you know what, for lous eleven dollars a month, you 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.400 could be part of this great mission that we're doing 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:35.440 and give these houses to these great families that have 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:38.960 paid the ultimate sacrifice for all freedom and all security. Well, 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:41.239 and I actually I saw one of your commercials on 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:43.840 Fox News and signed up. I I give more than 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:47.320 eleven dollars, but I signed up myself. It's it's super easy. 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:49.840 You can just do automatic payments each month. And you know, 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:51.960 and I know the past year has been tough for 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:54.239 a lot of families financially, so you know, you can 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:56.919 sign up what you can to help out. But you know, 0:17:57.080 --> 0:17:59.680 I can promise you guys. Frank's just doing tremendous work 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:01.919 and just helping you know, so many people. So it 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.720 really is important, you know, Frank. But we're just reminded 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:09.240 of the sacrifice that our service members pay for our country, 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:12.480 latting down their lives to to keep this nation free. 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:15.280 Who give so much. We just saw this in Afghanistan 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.320 with the suicide attack. Thirteen young U S service members 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:22.840 lives gone way too young, families without loved ones. What 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:26.040 have you learned about sacrifice in meeting so many of 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:28.240 these gold Star families and meeting so many of these 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:33.080 families who have lost first responders, both police, firefighters. What 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:35.840 have you learned about sacrifice with all of this? This 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:37.800 is what I know. I know that all these people 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:42.679 that serve, whether it's serve our country or a police officers, quirefighters, 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.040 they love it. They love what they're doing. It's in 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.639 their blood, it's ingrained. These are special human beings. Not 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:52.000 everybody can do it. It's plain and simple. Not everybody 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:54.680 can do it. And when they die, they die doing 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:58.200 what they love, you know, saving people or protecting people. 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:01.280 Now that being said, when they die. And it should 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:04.439 have happened in the Thirteen Great Americans, and we just 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.640 lost the greatest country that ever existed, and we couldn't 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:11.760 leave there in the proper way. Shame shame on whoever 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:13.679 was in charge of that, and we know who it is. 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.880 But I really don't want to get overly political, but 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.160 my heart breaks for these families because it shouldn't have happened. 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:22.800 And I do talk to gold Star widows all the time, 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:26.560 and they are destroyed, that's the word destroyed on what 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.480 happened a couple of weeks ago to these Thirteen Great 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:32.400 Americans rest assured that the total of the Tawas Foundation 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:35.360 will be there for any family that fits our criteria 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.480 that leaves a young family behind. And we know there's 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:42.000 one widow that is pregnant and that this husband who 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:44.080 will never see their child and this child will never 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.800 see their father, and that's that's uh, that's disturbing and 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:51.840 to the unteen degree. So but Tontal the Tawas Foundation, 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:53.760 that's what we're there, and that's our promise. We're going 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:56.000 to take care of that family, take care of the 0:19:56.040 --> 0:19:59.800 family of the of the trooper in Connecticut that was 0:19:59.840 --> 0:20:02.600 just washed the way in the hurricane. We already already 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:04.280 spoke to this family and tell them we're going to 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:06.560 take care of the mortgage. We will take care of 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:10.160 the family of the police officers that were shot in Kalamazoo. Um. 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:13.439 We already spoke to that family and uh we let 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:14.960 them know I'm going to take care of that family. 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:17.639 And that's what we do all over America. In the 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:19.840 time we need the Foundation, We're going to be there 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:21.919 to make sure that we support these great families and 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:24.000 let them know they're not alone. And we do more 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:25.760 of than just pay off the mortgage. They've become part 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:28.520 of the Tunnel Towers family, part of the Silver family, 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:30.720 and they go to all the events that we do 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:35.000 because it is part of the healing process. Let's take 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:37.399 a quick commercial break and then back with Frank Stiller 0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:46.320 on the other side. You know, you said that when 0:20:46.320 --> 0:20:48.520 you start off Tunnel to Towers, you had no idea 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:50.680 that it would turn into you know this, you'd be 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:53.600 able to help so many families as you have. What 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:55.440 do you what do you vision for the future for 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:57.560 a Tunnel to Towers? What do you what do you 0:20:57.600 --> 0:21:01.280 hope to do and to accomplish even further? Then all, 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:04.440 there's so many families that you've already helped, Well, there's 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:06.919 so many more families. So with delivering two hundred mortgage 0:21:06.920 --> 0:21:09.399