Carrying Their Legacy: Why 9/11 Must Not Fade From Memory Now More Than Ever

If I've said it once I've said it 900 times, this is the greatest country in the world. I would not want to live anywhere else but I also need to be honest about something - we are not doing so hot right now and that's putting it mildly. 

There is more division, hate, and vitriol now than I can ever remember in my 40 years on this rock. Everyone is guilty of this at some level down to the obnoxious trolls on the internet who do nothing but spew hate unprovoked all the way up to the horrific tragedy that unfolded down in North Carolina. There is no joking that we are having a rough go of it in recent years. I don't know that we can blame one person or one thing that was the genesis of this hate, but there is no denying we've seen better days. It feels like we are at a boiling point.  

It is at this point that I feel we are at our most vulnerable, which is why the mantra of "never forget" as it relates to 9/11 is so important. Remember the hatred that caused that day and vow to do your part to eradicate it from this world. Remember the brave first responders who rushed to those buildings to help others. Remember the regular civilians who looked to their left and right to help their fellow man. Remember how we all felt on 9/12 when we banded together tighter than ever to support one another, to rebuild. 

Remember how we all vowed that we would never forget. Don't let those lives who perished be in vein. 

That's why it is so important to tell the stories we did on today's episode. Large and Annie have told their story around Barstool before but every year we have new eyes and ears who need to hear it; heck, it doesn't hurt anyone to hear it for a second time. It's wild to think how many people now were not even alive for 9/11 so it's vital to have these first hand accounts. Like they did a few years ago, I wanted them to tell the story of Annie's dad. 

Ric Harvey, Large's boss on the trading floor and eventual father in law. And how she also lost his brother in law, Robert Twomey. And Robert Sutcliffe. And Patrick Dickinson and his brother-in-law, Thomas Sullivan. And Michael Pascuma, Jr. ,and Rudy Bacchus. And Michael Tamuccio, Annie's dad’s best friend and John Schroeder, Large's best pal.

One thing we touched on that resonated with me was how Large and Annie's marriage survived this unfathomable day. I mentioned in our conversation that so many marriages crumbled under the weight of so much less. However, if you know them you know their marriage is rock solid. In fact, I'd put it up as an example that couples should aspire to in their own marriages. Hearing how they survived together in the wake of this tragedy is actually beautiful. If you're ever downtown in NYC, make sure to stop by Emeric Harvey Place and reflect on a great man and the great family who honors his legacy. 

Then there is the story of my dear friend, Pat Dowdell, and his father Lt. Kevin Dowdell who was one of the 343 FDNY firefighters who bravely charged into those buildings that day. To know Pat is to love him and from everything I've heard of his father over the years the same can be said for him. I'm honored to have Pat and his family as a friend to me and his story is an important one of perseverance. His father's story is one of selflessness both on and off the job.

If Pat had found a dank bar to stumble in and out of after realizing his father wasn't coming home, no one would have blamed him. Instead, he persisted and reapplied to West Point. He did everything in his power to get himself admitted and ultimately graduate in 2006 followed by a deployment to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Not to mention his brother, James, who is coming up on year 20 with the FDNY himself. These stories don't happen unless their father impressed upon them the importance of work ethic and service. This selflessness manifested itself recently too when Pat rearranged his schedule to play the bagpipes at my father's funeral - a gesture of that magnitude will endure with my family.

What's the point of telling these stories? What's the lesson?

Perhaps it's that we as a country can endure the most horrific event imaginable and come back stronger. We don't need to settle for the current state of affairs and we should all strive to do better. Not just for ourselves but for our fellow American. 

I hate that my friends are without their loved ones but I know we can all learn from them. We can all try to emulate the way they attack each day because Large, Annie, and Pat all have a fervor for life. They didn't allow 9/11 to stop them in their tracks. Yes, it shaped them moving forward and there is a sense of loss but I am envious of their strength that emerged. 

Let's remember Robert Twomey, Robert Sutcliffe, Patrick Dickinson, Thomas Sullivan, Michael Pascuma, Jr., Rudy Bacchus, Michael Tamuccio, John Schroeder, Emeric Harvey, and Kevin Dowdell. Let's remember them and all the other souls who left us that day. Let's remember and live lives worth their memory. Let's ensure that "Never Forget" isn't just some bumper sticker; rather, a cry to guide us to be a better society.