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A 16,000-pound steel beam pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center will soon travel more than 10,000 miles across America in a moving tribute marking 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Tunnel to Towers CEO Frank Siller announced Tuesday.
“We wanted to make sure the foundation did something important, significant. That we shine a light on the sacrifice that was made…” Siller told “Fox & Friends.”
“We want to make sure America remembers what happened 25 years ago when we lost 2,977 lives.”
The Steel Across America tour launches May 2 at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and will travel over 10,500 miles to 35 stops across 21 states and the District of Columbia.
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The months-long tour consists of stops at sites like the Flight 93 Memorial, the USS Alabama, Space Center Houston, Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Major League ballparks across the U.S.
The epic journey culminates in a return to New York on Friday, September 11.
Siller said he will join the cross-country tour at various stops alongside his nephew, Stephen Siller Jr. — the son of his late brother, FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who died in the line of duty on 9/11.
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“This beautiful truck that we built for it [the steel] to go around, it’s going to be lit at night, and we have a whole team going around, one of which is one of Stephen’s sons, Stephen Jr.”
In addition to the steel beam itself, the tour will feature a traveling 9/11 exhibit designed to educate younger generations about the attacks and the sacrifices made that day.
The exhibit includes artifacts recovered from Ground Zero and interactive displays that walk visitors through the events of September 11, ensuring that those who were not yet born or those who are too young to remember, understand the magnitude of what occurred.
“A lot of people weren’t even born then. Obviously, [if they are] 25 years or younger, they don’t even know the story of 9/11,” Siller said, noting that the exhibit aims to capture the story.
Siller also said he recently sat down with President Donald Trump to discuss incorporating the steel into a South Lawn ceremony as part of the 25th anniversary observance.
“He’s a New Yorker, so… he knows all about 9/11. He cares. He loves the Tunnel to Towers Foundation…” Siller said.
“But right away, I said, ‘Can we bring the piece of steel on the South Lawn? He just reached across the Resolute Desk, shakes my hand, says, ’Frank, yeah, let’s get this done.’ He brought his staff right in. What was supposed to be a 20-minute meeting ended up being about an hour and 20 minutes because, like I said, we’re New Yorkers, and we connect on a lot of things that mean a lot to all of us, and we both love America.”
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