Buried Twice, Still Standing

LOS GATOS, Calif. — On the morning of September 11, 2001, FDNY Lieutenant Joe Torrillo was buried alive when the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Rescued and placed on a boat bound for the hospital, he was buried a second time when the North Tower fell minutes later.

Twenty-five years later, Torrillo stood at the Flame of Liberty Memorial in Los Gatos to share that story as keynote speaker at "9/11 at 25: Keepers of the Flame." The Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation (VMSF) hosted the tribute on Friday, September 11, 2026, to honor the heroes, victims and survivors of the attacks. Veterans, first responders, community leaders and residents gathered to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day, including 343 members of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).

Watch Lt. Torrillo's full keynote address ([27:00 minutes]):

A Launch Day Like No Other

Torrillo, a 25-year FDNY veteran, spent the first 15 years of his career with Engine Company 10, directly across the street from the South Tower. On the morning of the attacks, he was headed to Rockefeller Center to help launch Billy Blazes, a firefighter action figure he had helped develop with Fisher-Price. In a painful irony, Torrillo had suggested September 11 as the launch date because 9-1-1 is the nation's emergency number.

He was about an eighth of a mile from the World Trade Center when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower. With a second plane hitting the towers, Torrillo knew this was no accident. Fearing for his brothers at Engine 10 and Ladder 10, he traded his dress uniform for borrowed turnout gear and ran toward the towers.

Buried Twice

When the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., Torrillo was buried under the debris. He suffered a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken arm, a crushed spine and severe internal bleeding. Rescuers pulled him from the rubble, strapped him to a spine board and carried him aboard a boat on the Hudson River. Before the boat could leave, the North Tower came down. Torrillo broke free of the stretcher, dove into the boat's engine room, and was buried a second time. Once again, rescuers dug him out.

Because his borrowed gear bore the name "Thomas McNamara," hospital staff in New Jersey misidentified him, and he was listed as missing for three days before his family learned he was alive.

The Billy Blazes figure he was set to unveil that morning has since come to honor the 343 FDNY firefighters who gave their lives on September 11. In 2019, Fisher-Price named a new Rescue Hero after Torrillo himself.

A Message for the Next Generation

Torrillo's first charge to the audience was simple: always remember the lessons of 9/11. For the many young people in attendance, born after the towers fell, he made the case that remembering is not only about honoring the dead but about understanding what the country came through together.

He then turned to the nation itself, and he did not mince words. Noting that roughly 330 million people call the United States home, he reminded the crowd that there are 197 other countries in the world and some 19,200 airports in the U.S. for anyone who believes life would be better elsewhere. "And if you're crazy enough to take me up on that offer," he added, "you'd be smart to buy a round-trip ticket. Because ladies and gentlemen, life doesn't get any better than in the United States of America!"

Torrillo was quick to say that his love of country is not blind. "I'm not naive," he said. "Mistakes were made in the growing process of this country. That's the natural progression of anything or anybody. But you know what? We acknowledged those faults and corrected them. There's got to come a time when we have to stop indicting America for the sins she already paid a price for."

He closed with a reminder that patriotism and compassion go hand in hand. "Don't ever forget to have sympathy and empathy for people who are struggling," he told the audience. "That's your job. That's the Christianity in your heart. That's where it comes from."

Honoring Hometown Heroes

Los Gatos Mayor Rob Moore paid tribute to two of the town's own: Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham, passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93. Both attended Los Gatos High School, just down the street from the Civic Center, and both are honored at the Flame of Liberty Memorial.

Together with fellow passengers Tom Burnett and Jeremy Glick, Beamer and Bingham helped lead the revolt against the hijackers, storming the cockpit in a bid to retake the plane. Their actions kept the terrorists from completing the final part of their plan. The attack on the World Trade Center had struck at the heart of the nation's financial center, and the strike on the Pentagon targeted its military. Flight 93 is believed to have been headed for the U.S. Capitol, the seat of our government. Instead, it came down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the passengers' courage saved the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands, on the ground.

"Always Remember"

Santa Clara County Fire Department Assistant Chief Art Tomasetti has worn two uniforms over the course of his career: that of an Army soldier and that of a firefighter. He asked the audience to replace the familiar phrase "Never Forget" with "Always Remember."

"'Always remember' the courage and bravery of our first responders, civilians and our veterans," he said. "'Always remember' the unity of our nation. And 'always remember' the beautiful lives we lost from that tragic event."

About the Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation

The Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Los Gatos, California, with three goals:

• To build and maintain a memorial that honors active service members, veterans and their families
• To educate the community about the sacrifices made in defense of America's freedom
• To provide humanitarian support to service members, veterans and their families, including those adjusting to civilian life after deployment

To learn more or support the Foundation's work, visit honoravet.org.

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