On 9/11, A Young Man Remembers His Father, A Hero

Fifteen years ago, Andrew Jordan was a little boy in fourth grade at Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School, a bright student who loved history and maps and studying the globe.

Fifteen years ago, Andrew was a little boy excited about the upcoming birth of his fourth sibling; he and his dad talked about the baby, who was set to be born soon, to other parents at a soccer signup in Westhampton Beach.

When asked about the baby, and whether it was a boy or a girl, Andrew Brian Jordan, Sr., a firefighter, answered with a big smile, "We want it to be a surprise."

But then Sept. 11 dawned, cruel in its blue brilliant skies, and swept away thousands of lives. Andrew Jordan, Sr., never got to meet his beautiful new baby boy, Sean, born on Sept, 26, 2001.

Fifteen years ago, Andrew Jordan, Jr. was at school in Remsenburg, a sleepy, storybook hamlet where it seemed nothing dark or evil could ever happen, sitting in a bright classroom with his friends and teacher when the worst single act of terrorism to take place on American soil unfolded, and the Twin Towers fell, taking thousands of innocent lives — including his father's.

Andrew Brian Jordan, Sr., Andrew's dad, was a kind man with a huge heart who wore his fireman's uniform and boots to his son's class to teach kids about fire safety.

And now, 15 years later, while his memory is indelibly etched into the hearts of a nation, memorialized at monuments and museums near Ground Zero and captured forever in books and newspaper articles, for his family, Andrew Jordan remains the beloved father and husband who's been missed every single minute and heartbeat since he was torn from their lives.

Speaking of his father, Andrew Jordan said, "I have so many memories of my dad that I don't know where to begin. But what I do want people to remember about him is that he was such a caring parent and did so much to help my family and the people whose lives he touched."

Although he's now spent 15 years missing his father, the memories of the short time they shared are vivid: He remembers his father "doing things like coaching Little League, coming to my second grade class to help teach us about fire safety and being there with our family to go to places like the Baseball Hall of Fame and Hershey Park, despite his work schedule. Those are some of the happiest memories I have of him."

As the years pass, Andrew and his mother, Lisa Jordan, believe more can be done to teach students about 9/11 in local schools, so that the heroes who sacrificed their lives that day are never forgotten — and so that such pervasive evil can never happen again.

"If they don't start teaching it now, when are they going to start? It's been 15 years already. It changed the world, why not talk about it?" Lisa Jordan said.

She added, "This was the largest terrorist attack on United States soil and since it happened, everything in our lives has changed."

Children today, she said, do not remember a time when airports weren't a place for body scans and heightened security. They do not remember a world forever scarred by fear and horrific tragedy.

Of the lack of education in schools, Jordan said. "I am very disappointed. Why would you not even touch on it?"

Details can be spared, she said. Her son, Andrew Jordan, Jr. has since become a teacher himself for Teach for America, imparting lessons to children with sensitivity.

"When it comes to 9/11 being taught in schools, I believe more should be done to teach kids about what happened," Andrew Jordan, now 24, said.

Both mother and son believe a moment of silence should be recognized in schools across the country.

In 2010, Sean Jordan, who never met his father but holds family stories and memories close, stood before the Westhampton Beach Board of Education and implored educators to embrace a moment of silence, to remember his dad, and all the thousands who died that day.

"In today's world, what happened on 9/11 changed the course of United States' history and has impacted the American government's decisions on many important issues," Andrew added. As a teacher, Jordan said he spoke to his own third grade class about 9/11 and "how it has affected our world."