2nd row: Ken Feinberg, JoJo Esposito, Jennifer & Jack McNamara, Pat White, Jean & Tom O’Connor
3rd row: Becky Rossman, Kayla Bergeron, Teresa Davis, Michael Hingson, Tim Brown
4th row: Jill Pila, Gary Suson, Matt McCauley, Mike Burke, Brian Clark
Bottom row: Dr. Marc Wilkenfeld
With the 25th anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, I knew it was high time to bring everyone back together into the same room, to learn and remember what the community actually consists of.
Survivors and First Responders. Those are likely what you first think of. If I say “9/11 Survivor,” your mind will go to those who got out of the World Trade Center that day. But did you realize that the entire neighborhood are Survivors, too? Both legally and medically, they were breathing the same air, have developed the same debilitating illnesses, and suffer from ongoing PTSD. There are so many more Survivors than you know.
What about First Responders? You likely think about FDNY and NYPD. And again, while that’s true, it is missing out on entire departments of people that day—the Department of Correction and EMTs, for example. But what about Port Authority? They literally were headquartered in the WTC. That’s right, one of the groups of First Responders’ headquarters was literally eviscerated. So again, even describing First Responders goes beyond what you knew.
And lest you think we just covered everything, all of that only described New York City. What about the family members of the 4 flights that were murdered when their planes were used as missiles? What about the people in the Pentagon?
My goal was simple, yet incredibly challenging. For the 25th anniversary, I intended to get the ENTIRE community represented together in the same Zoom space, having a long conversation about their memories, their loved ones, and the physical and mental repercussions that they suffer through to this day.
In doing so, this idea of having my usual 15 people grew to 46 different people I knew needed a voice. So I created two different episodes, and we spoke for over 5 hours in each session. Politicians, Survivors, Responders, family members, the Pentagon, United 93—all of it was included. Plus Gary Sinise!
So on that note, and without further ado, I invite you to watch and SHARE this, because the world is most certainly breaking its promise to “never forget,” and they deserve so much better.
Joining Boaz on the episode:
Kayla Bergeron – Survivor
Tim Brown – FDNY Responder
Mike Burke – 9/11 Family
Brian Clark – Survivor
Teresa Davis – Former WTCHP Case Manager
JoJo Esposito – FDNY Responder
Ken Feinberg – Victim Compensation Fund
Mary Fetchet – VOICES Founder, 9/11 Family
Michael Hingston – Blind Survivor
Carolyn Maloney – Congress 1923-2045
Matthew McCauley – NYPD and Paramedic Responder,
Jack McNamara – 9/11 Family
Jennifer McNamara – 9/11 Family
Sol Moglen – FDNY Honorary Deputy Chief
Jean O’Connor – FBI Evidence Response Team
Thomas O’Connor – FBI Evidence Response Team
Jill Pila – 9/11 Family
Becky Rossman – Tuesday’s Promise
John Ryan – WTC Task Force
Gary Suson – 9/11 Museum Workshop
Patrick White – 9/11 Family United 93
Marc Wilkenfeld – Physician Treating 9/11 Survivors & Responders
(EDITOR NOTE: This episode was filmed on 07/19/26. 9/11 family member Mike Burke joined the show last minute, and was accidentally not included in the credits. The show apologizes for this careless error, and we appreciate Mr. Burke for joining, and helping to honor his brother FDNY Captain Billy Burke).
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