America’s heartland comes face-to-face with 9/11 history as 25th anniversary nears

A nearly 17,000-pound piece of steel from the World Trade Center’s South Tower made its way to Cincinnati, giving people hundreds of miles from Ground Zero a rare chance to stand face-to-face with a piece of 9/11 history.

"Never forgetting the sacrifice and bravery of our nation’s heroes, as well as our lost loved ones, is a generational promise that every American can help keep," Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller told Fox News Digital.

The 21-foot steel beam is making its way across the country as part of Tunnel to Towers’ Steel Across America tour, a traveling memorial marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Former Marine infantryman Scott Nokes, a Tunnel to Towers ambassador and employee, joined local firefighters, FDNY members, veterans, first responders and community members in bringing the beam to the Cincinnati Fire Museum Saturday.

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"I know firsthand what it means to have the Tunnel to Towers Foundation show up for you when you need it most," Nokes said at the event.

"This foundation changes lives. It changed mine. When I stand before this steel and think about the men and women we lost on September 11, I feel an obligation to make sure their story keeps being told. I am honored to be here today as part of this journey."

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New Jersey native Nokes was deployed twice to Afghanistan before leaving the service to pursue firefighting. In 2016, he went into septic shock, and life-saving treatment left him a double below-the-knee amputee and legally blind.

Through Tunnel to Towers’ Smart Home Program, Nokes received a custom, mortgage-free smart home in December 2019 designed to help him live more independently. In addition to working and representing T2T, Nokes mentors for Neptune Emergency Services.

The stop gave community members, first responders, veterans and residents a chance to see the artifact in person during a ceremony featuring a color guard, bagpipes, the national anthem, a blessing of the beam, a moment of silence, remarks from fire and city leaders and a steel flag presentation.

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The steel beam has served as a traveling memorial to the victims and first responders of 9/11, offering pop-up events across 21 different states leading up to the anniversary of the tragic day.

After Cincinnati, the tour heads into its final stretch, with stops scheduled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Sept. 1, the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial in Boston Sept. 3 and the White House on Sept. 8 before returning to New York City.

The foundation provides mortgage-free, fully accessible smart homes for catastrophically injured U.S. veterans and first responders.

The foundation is honoring the 343 FDNY firefighters who died on 9/11 by delivering 343 mortgage-free homes this year.