Stephen Siller Jr., son of a renowned New York City firefighter who perished during the September 11 attacks, is commemorating Father’s Day by transporting a massive piece of World Trade Center steel across the United States. The 25-year-old is driving a flatbed truck carrying a 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the South Tower, part of a nationwide initiative called the Steel Across America tour.

The tour began in May and plans to cover approximately 10,500 miles, making stops at national monuments, museums, memorials, and major league baseball stadiums across more than 35 cities in 21 states. Its journey, organized by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, will conclude at Ground Zero on September 11, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Stephen Siller Sr., who was 35 at the time of his death, served with Squad 1 in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood. He responded to the attacks on September 11, 2001, while off duty. After hearing the emergency call as he was driving to a golf outing with his brothers, he turned back to his firehouse but found his unit had already left. Unable to enter Manhattan by car due to blocked routes, he parked outside the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and ran two miles to the South Tower wearing his 80-pound firefighting gear.

Siller Sr. never emerged from the rubble, and his body was never recovered from the approximately 1.6 million tons of debris. His son, who was nine months old at the time, said that the steel beam carries symbolic significance, serving as a tangible link to his father’s sacrifice.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, founded by Stephen Sr.’s brother, Frank Siller, supports families of first responders, military veterans, and other public servants by building homes for disabled veterans and paying off mortgages for widows of fallen heroes. Stephen Siller Jr. works full-time for the foundation and views the Steel Across America tour as a way to share stories of heroism to inspire future generations.

The tour has made stops at significant locations such as the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. The latter is notably where President George W. Bush was reading to students when he learned about the attacks. Stephen Jr. recounted meeting Andy Card, then White House chief of staff, who whispered the news to Bush — a moment described as deeply moving.

As the tour progresses toward its final destination, it serves both as a memorial and an educational effort, honoring the sacrifices made on that day and preserving the legacy of first responders like Stephen Siller Sr.