Written by Sam Marks
At 8:46 am, September 11, 2001, the world was forever changed. This was the moment when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north face of World Trade Center’s North Tower. What was unconfirmed to be a deliberate terrorist attack at the time was confirmed at 9:03 am, when United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Face of the South Tower. The South Tower collapsed at 9:53 am, followed by the North Tower at 10:28 am. The New York City Skyline was permanently changed and America, alongside the wider world, was left in shock. For the 1 hour and 42 minutes the World Trade Center towers burned, the harrowing scenes were broadcast nationally and internationally. All eyes were on America as the unthinkable was happening: it was under direct attack on its own continental soil. While all major news channels were covering the trauma-inducing attacks, some on the ground nearby were called into action.
The first responders (police, firefighters, and paramedics) from New York City went to the sites of destruction and devastation to rescue any survivors and attempt to control the chaos. These heroes put their lives on the line when America was in dire need of assistance, and many came away with respiratory diseases that have killed over 3,000 and still afflict many more. But not all the first responders were called into action. Some, who saw the images of fire, smoke, and devastation on the television screens were inspired to act themselves. Bob Beckwith was one of these heroes.
Beckwith was born April 16, 1932 in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York. He served in the New York City Fire Department for 30 years from 1964 to 1994. He lived in Baldwin, Long Island and with his wife Barbara for over 50 years. The couple had 6 children. It was an average life for a New Yorker. The suburbs of Long Island provided a quiet and dependable life: close enough the City to commute into work and close enough to the beaches for leisurely weekends. Many people who did the remarkable on September 11 came from this unremarkable environment, Beckwith being one of them.
On the morning of September 11, Beckwith had taken his grandson to the hospital after he was hit by a car while riding his bike to school. He was already aware that the North Tower had been hit as he was driving to the hospital. Once his grandson was in stable condition, Beckwith drove to ground zero of the World Trade Centers. After 7 years of retirement from the Fire Department, the 68-year-old Beckwith grabbed his old gear and lied about his employment to get through barricades set up around the crash sites. He spent days working to find missing people and clearing out the rubble. He would go from incognito to an icon three days after the attacks.
On September 14, President George W. Bush visited Ground Zero to continue to provide relief to a nation still traumatized by what had happened. Beckwith handed Bush a megaphone to give a speech and, despite secret servicemembers request that he keep his distance from the President, Bush insisted Beckwith stand with him while he gave his famous impromptu Ground Zero Speech.
With a megaphone in one hand and his other hand around Beckwith’s shoulder, Bush began: “America today is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here”. All the while, Beckwith stood alongside the president with his 164 Brigade fire helmet on, a true symbol of the effort of the first responders and the kind of people they were.
For a president whose legacy is mired in controversy over his decisions after 9/11, the Ground Zero Speech remains one of the most impactful moments of leadership the U.S. has ever seen. It resulting in Bush receiving a record 90% approval rating and Americans feeling some repreive during ongoing feelings of terror and fear. But unlike the debates that could be had around the legacy of George W. Bush, Beckwith’s legacy is much clearer to assess. There at Ground Zero was a family man who had dedicated 30 years of his life to being a firefighter. With no payment, no incentive, and no reward, at age 68, Beckwith had put himself in danger to provide any help he could, simply because he could.
After the Ground Zero Speech became an instant moment of history and a vital part of the 9/11 story, Beckwith was shy about his fame. He remained committed to the relief for first responders and those affected by 9/11 throughout his life. He traveled 11 times to speak with President Bush and was an active fundraiser for the New York Firefighter Burn Center Foundation. The helmet he wore during his service was donated to the 9/11 Memorial, helping preserve the work of the first responders and carry the message to a new generation.
He died February 4, 2024 at age 91.
The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center are a difficult moment to place in history. It may be the last time in recent history that the world was so unified in its response to such devastation. And yet, these attacks are also connected with the War on Terror and controversial US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout the frist two decade of the 21st century. 9/11 is recent enough to have been a formative experience for those who lived through it but is simultaneously almost alien to people who were only conscious after it took place. Beckwith’s recent passing however, is a reminder that the relief America needed was done by ordinary Americans who worked tirelessly on their own volition to comfort the afflicted world. His recognition at Ground Zero exemplifies all the first responders on 9/11 and for the clean up after. While their faces may never gain such instant recognition, Beckwith is one glimpse into the heroism of the first responders: people who rose to a call to action, even when they were never obligated to.
Bob Beckwith: April 16, 1932 – February 4, 2024 at age 91
Bibliography
Campanile, Carl, and David Meyer. “More People Have Now Died from 9/11 Illnesses than during the Attacks,” September 12, 2021. https://nypost.com/2021/09/12/more-people-have-now-died-from-9-11-illnesses-than-during-the-attacks/.
George W. Bush – 9/11 Bullhorn Speech, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7OCgMPX2mE.
Marcelo, Philip. “Bob Beckwith, Retired Firefighter in Famous Image with Bush after 9/11, Dies at 91.” AP News, February 5, 2024, sec. U.S. News. https://apnews.com/article/nyc-sept-11-firefighter-bullhorn-president-bush-8caa995b0ba69c95e7201b9e3bb2eb8a.
Roberts, Sam. “Bob Beckwith, Firefighter Who Stood With Bush After 9/11, Dies at 91.” The New York Times, February 5, 2024, sec. New York. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/nyregion/bob-beckwith-dead.html.
Wiloski, Jess. “Firefighter Tells Story behind Iconic Moment with George W. Bush.” Yahoo News, September 2, 2011. https://news.yahoo.com/firefighter-tells-story-behind-iconic-september-11-moment-with-george-bush.html.
Featured Image Credit: Office, Series: Photographs Related to the George W. Bush Administration, 1/20/2001-1/20/2009Collection: Records of the White House Photo. English: Standing on Top of a Crumpled Fire Truck with Retired New York City Firefighter Bob Beckwith, President George W. Bush Rallies Firefighters and Rescue Workers Friday, Sept. 14, 2001, during an Impromptu Speech at the Site of the Collapsed World Trade Center Towers. “I Can Hear You,” President Bush Said. “The Rest of the World Hears You. And the People Who Knocked These Buildings down Will Hear All of Us Soon.” Photo by Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. September 14, 2001. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7369334. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_George_W._Bush_rallies_firefighters_and_rescue_workers.jpg.
Retrospect Journal 
