HADDON HEIGHTS, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A Camden County man has been credited with helping save a few dozen people on September 11, 2001, by finding and leading them to a safe staircase to escape one of the towers. His brother spoke to KYW Newsradio about his heroic legacy, 21 years later.
Frank De Martini was one of five siblings and a pretty good wrestler at Haddon Heights High School, according to his younger brother Paul.
"He always had a certain, I guess you could say, take control, courageous vibe to him. Whenever there was a stressful, high-tension situation, he always seemed to have a clear head," said Paul De Martini.
"I always pictured, particularly it was in the Vietnam era, and he was close to being drafted ... I remember thinking, 'Well, if he gets drafted, we'll probably win.'"
Related
Frank graduated in 1970. He then went on to New York for college, got a degree in architecture, and was hired to help reconstruction at the World Trade Center after the 1993 bombing.
Eventually he became the construction manager for the Twin Towers, and is credited with helping save many lives on September 11.
De Martini said Frank was in his office on the 88th floor having breakfast with his wife, when his building was hit by the first plane.
Related
"His floor was heavily damaged," De Martini said. "People were freaking out, of course. And where did they all run? They all ran to Frank and were all in his office."
Unsurprisingly, according to De Martini, Frank and his coworker Pablo Ortiz jumped into action with others, and were able to find an accessible staircase for others to escape.
They didn't make it themselves, but according to the 9/11 Museum, they were part of a group of four men that helped save about 50 people.
More than two decades later, a lot has happened. "After 9/11, the world really seemed to really come together, you know? And I felt at that moment, I felt, 'Wow, if the world is going to come together like this, then maybe he didn't die in vain.' But it’s just so ironic that the opposite has happened."
But De Martini said Frank was always his hero.
His legacy and bravery live on, with a constant reminder with a dedication of the wrestling gym at his high school, as well as in the memory of his family and people across the country.