PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many lives were forever changed on September 11, 2001, particularly three people from our region were called to help others on that fateful day.
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One of those people now lives in Bucks County, but in 2001, he was a New York firefighter. Brian McGuire was actually working a side job in Newark with a few other firefighters when they heard of a plane crashing into one of the twin towers. They went to the river and looked across to Manhattan.
"We saw the first tower was smoking," McGuire recalled. "A few moments later, we saw the second plane hit the building."
At that time, McGuire and his group packed up and travelled to a fire house in Staten Island where others were stationed. They scoured the basement for additional tools and gear and set out for ground zero, as the FDNY issued a "total recall" requiring all off-duty fire and EMS members to return to service. A transit bus was commandeered to take the firefighters to the Staten Island Ferry. What struck him was the hundreds of civilians waiting to escape to safety.
"That was a once in a lifetime thing to see. They parted like the Red Sea and let us come through. And they were cheering and clapping for us," he said.
What should have been an easy walk to the World Trade Center was extremely difficult, he remembered. He remarked it looked like a snowstorm.
Once they reached ground zero, McGuire remembers getting right to work.
"We found a few firefighters that were digging out an FDNY member that was buried in the collapse," he said. "We passed him out. He was still alive, so we believed there was going to be a lot more people that we would find alive."
Unfortunately, that was not to be.
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Retired Navy Chief Gunners Mate Frankie DeGrand, from Aston, Delaware County, remembered that day like it was yesterday. He was stationed on the destroyer USS Briscoe, docked in Norfolk, and was on a mission to get parts when they heard the news about the twin towers, and then the order to return to their ship.
"We were doing over 100 miles an hour on the highway there, and passing state troopers and they were just letting us go," he recounted.
"It took some time to get into the base. As soon as we got there, we parked our cars and ran in full gear about a mile and a half to our ship. After about five minutes after we got aboard our ship, we were underway."
Steaming toward New York harbor, DeGrand was stationed on the bridge as a gunner, and was stunned at the aftermath of the collapse of the towers.
"We were miles out and we see the smoke coming," he said. "There was silence for about 45 minutes. There were tears on many people's faces. I was in shock."
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Philadelphia First Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy was a firefighter at Rescue One at the time, and a member of FEMA's PA Task Force One when he got the alert while attending class at Community College of Philadelphia.
"I was in class and as soon as I got that vibra alert I had to let the instructor know that there was a chance I would have to leave the class," he said, "and I did."
What stood out in Murphy's mind before he deployed, he said, was everyone rushing to return to their loved ones.
"There was no quick way to get back to my residence to get my gear because everyone was trying to get to their loved ones," he said. "No one really knew where the next thing was going to happen."
Once he arrived in New York, Murphy was immediately conscious of the devastation.
"There were still fires going on at the site. It had just happened less then 24 hours ago, and a lot of debris floating around. Burnt paper and the smell of jet fuel," he said.
As with McGuire, Murphy likened all of the dust to the snow. "There was burnt paper in the trees and the smell of jet fuel," he described.
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That day changed the lives of all three men.
In the weeks and months following his time at ground zero, tests revealed that McGuire's lungs were so damaged he couldn't return to work as a fire fighter.
"Even though I was retired, I still had to fight. There are over 68 cancers linked to the World Trade Center. There are numerous other non-cancerous ailments," he shared.
"It's just very important to be aware that even though it is 20 years later, 9/11 is still killing. So if there is anyone who responded to 9/11 from this area, please look into registering for the 9-11 health care program. It could save your life."
For DeGrand, it shaped his life in service.
"I made the Navy a career. I have always put the nation first," he declared. "From being around the world, I know a lot of people here don't respect the freedoms we have here or really understand it until they visit another country. I swore an oath to protect the constitution. I may be retired, but I still live by that oath."
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As for Murphy, it altered the course of his career.
"When 9/11 happened, I had 14 years on the Philadelphia Fire Department. I was actually at Community College of Philadelphia to take my core courses to eventually transfer them to Temple for my degree in physical therapy. My goal was to do 20 years and then I was going to pursue that," he said.
"I loved being a firefighter but I just thought I would do this and then move on to the next phase of my life. But that day changed everything. Up until that time I had never taken the officer's promotional exam because I was really happy being a firefighter at Rescue One. To me that was the pinnacle. Things changed after that day. It really did."
To hear the entire story from all three men, listen above to the latest episode of KYW Newsradio In Depth. For more, subscribe on the Audacy app or wherever you get podcasts.
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