The Tunnel to Towers Steel Across America tour made a powerful stop at Boston’s Fenway Park on Wednesday night, where Red Sox fans were able to view a preserved piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
The 21-foot beam, taken from the South Tower of the World Trade Center, has been traveling across the United States since May. The tour is expected to conclude in New York City shortly after the Sept. 11 anniversary.
“It brings up a lot of memories, and, honestly, reading that and talking to the firemen over there, it can give me chills. It gives me chills,” Fenway vendor David Littlefield said of the display.
The Tunnel to Towers Steel Across America tour arrived at Fenway Park on Thursday. (Steel Across America)
Littlefield described the exhibit as deeply emotional. “It was gut-wrenching, heartbreaking,” he said, noting that his wife lost a roommate in the Sept. 11 attacks.
For others at the ballpark, the World Trade Center artifact carried a personal connection. “It hits home. I worked for American Airlines for 30 years, and I … worked Flight 11 and Flight 77 many times,” another woman at the game said.
After its appearance at Fenway Park, the steel beam display is being featured Thursday at the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial.
A banner displayed above the entrance to Fenway Park. (Steel Across America)
The 16,900-pound beam will then head to the nation’s capital, where it will be featured at a private event on Friday. It will then head to New York City for another private event in Brooklyn on Sept. 11, before a final appearance at the New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys game at MetLife Stadium Sept. 13.
The beam visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Monday, where the superintendent, Lt. Gen. James B. Bartholomees III, said the piece of steel connects the courage shown by first responders on 9/11 with the Americans who answered the call to serve in the years that followed.
“As we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, this piece of steel reminds us of the courage of first responders like Stephen Siller and the countless Americans who answered the call in the years that followed, including generations of West Point graduates,” Bartholomees said. “Today, young men and women continue that legacy of service, guided by duty, honor country.”
Army personnel and Frank Siller view a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower during its stop at West Point. (Jason Thiele Fotografik Memories/Courtesy Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
The ceremony brought together cadets, faculty, staff and guests and opened with a color guard and pipe and drum procession by members of the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police Department. The program also included the national anthem, an invocation and blessing of the steel and a moment of reflection accompanied by “Amazing Grace.”
