South Tower Valor

On September 11, 2001, thousands responded with tremendous courage and humanity. Much of their valor is known but to God. Yet survivor accounts, news reports, and recorded radio messages tell of their heroism and sacrifice. Among them were volunteers, security officials, and first responders to the South Tower. These are some of their stories.

From West Street, FDNY Ladder 15 entered the South Tower just moments after Islamist terrorists flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the building at 9:03 AM. Lieutenant Joseph Leavey led Firefighters Tommy Kelly, Scott Larsen, Scott Kopytko, and Doug Oelschlager in. Citywide Tour Commander Assistant Chief Donald Burns soon arrived at the street-level lobby to set up the Incident Command Post, accompanied by FF Tim Brown, who had been detailed from Rescue 3 to New York City’s Office of Emergency Management.

Battalion 7 Chief Orio Palmer and his aide, FF Steve Belson, linked up with Ladder 15. Their assigned mission was to find a way to reach those trapped above the fire floors and direct evacuations. They took the only working elevator to the 40th floor. Then, at 9:22 AM, using the B Stairway, they began an arduous 37-minute, 38-story stair climb to 78, with each carrying 60 to 80 pounds of equipment, while six floors of the tower above them burned.

Outside, Assistant Chief Gerald Barbara set up a staging area for the South Tower. The initial 5th alarm response, by every fire company in lower Manhattan (and four of the FDNY’s five Rescue Companies), was to the North Tower. The 5th alarm response to the South Tower came from farther away, Midtown, Uptown, Brooklyn, and Staten Island (including Rescue 5). Around 9:20 AM, Battalion 9 Chief Ed Geraghty, his aide FF Carl Asaro, Engine 54 and Ladder 4, commanded by CPT David Wooley and LT Daniel O’Callaghan, respectively, arrived at the staging area. Chief Barbara sent them in.

FF Tim Brown desperately attempted to free eight men and women from an elevator. (As he was assigned to the OEM, he had no equipment or protective gear with him.) The hoistway doors were open. But the automatic emergency brake had stuck the car too high up in the shaft — the opening was far too narrow for those eight to escape. Jet fuel was burning in the shaft below them. “They were getting smoked and cooked.”

Brown turned around and collided with FF Mike Lynch of Ladder 4, who said to him, “Timmy, I got it.” Brown returned to Chief Burns at the Command Post. Lynch went to Ladder 4 parked on Liberty Street to get a Hurst Tool (hydraulic spreaders). “When Mike Lynch’s remains were found on March 21, [2002], the medical examiner told his family that he had either been carrying a woman or shielding her with his bunker coat when they died.” They were found near the crushed center core of elevators, along with 10 other firefighters.

Immediately after the North Tower was struck, people began pouring down the escalators and stairs to the South Tower lobby. NYPD officers, Port Authority Police, and other officials directed many of them to escape north via the underground concourse mall to avoid what was crashing down onto the surrounding plaza. As Engine 216 approached the building, FF Danny Suhr died when struck by a jumper. Some of the walking wounded were escorted out, including Edward Nicholls; NYPD Police Officer Moira Smith took him to an ambulance and then went back in.

Upstairs, at 9:25 AM, from the 48th floor in the B Stairway, FF Larsen radioed LT Leavey, “Just got a report from a Director at Morgan Stanley [Director of Security Rick Rescorla]. 78 seems to have taken the brunt … There’s a lot of bodies. He said the way is clear all the way up, though.” 

FF Kelly shuttled evacuees down from 40 using the freight elevator and brought up an NYPD Emergency Service Unit, an unnamed FDNY Engine, and Chief Geraghty. The latter set up a medical staging area. At 9:35 AM, Chief Palmer radioed Geraghty, directing him to find elevators that “terminate below 76.”

At 9:41 AM, LT Leavey radioed FF Kelly, “Tommy, listen carefully. I’m sending all the injured down to you on 40. … There’s about 10 to 15 people coming down. … When you take people down to the lobby, try to get an EMS crew back …” Kelly responded, “Definitely!”

Above them on 78, “the man in the red bandana,” 24-year-old stock trader and volunteer firefighter Welles Crowther, found a way down past the fire floors: Stairway A. He explored it down as far as the 50s, ran back up, and then directed people to it; 18 of them made it out alive. “At the 51st floor,” Ling Young encountered FDNY Fire Marshals Ron Bucca and James Devery. Bucca continued up. Devery led the severely burned Young, and at least three others, Judy Wein, Gigi Singer, and Ed Nicholls, to the freight elevator on 40, and delivered Ling Young to an ambulance on West Street at 9:55 AM.

At 9:56 AM, Chief Palmer on 78 found the “access stair” to those trapped above. He radioed LT Leavey to send two Ladder 15 firefighters to him to man hoses to “knock down two isolated pockets of fire” and Chief Geraghty to come up to 79. Geraghty rapidly replied. “On my way, Orio.” At 9:57 AM, LT Leavey was trapped on 78 when he sent his last recorded radio transmission to FF Kopytko, “…we’re going to knock down some fire here in the B stair. We’ll meet up with you. You get over to the A stair and help out Chief Palmer.” Kopytko enthusiastically replied, “10-4, Lieu!” At 9:58 AM, FF Kelly radioed Palmer, “Stuck in the elevator. We’re chopping our way out.”

Chief Burns sent FF Brown out to bring in paramedics to treat the badly injured collecting in the lobby. He ran to West and Liberty Streets and was running back with EMS toward the lobby when, at 9:59 AM, the South Tower collapsed.

An estimated 9,460 people were in the South Tower when the North Tower was hit at 8:46 AM. Tragically, nearly 700 perished (600 of them on and above the South Tower fire floors). And more than 150 first responders in and near that tower died trying to save them all — no greater love. The known and unknown heroes of 9/11 valiantly conducted the greatest rescue operation in American history. We will never forget.

Editor's Note: We must never forget those lost on 9/11 and the American heroes who sacrificed their lives to save countless others.

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