Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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Leary created and starred in the critically acclaimed series Rescue Me (2004-11), which revolves around the daily drama associated with being a firefighter in post-9/11 New York, and his foundation directly supports many of those “real-life” heroes who responded to the horrific tragedy at the World Trade Center.
“Unfortunately, many of the FDNY members who survived that day are now dying from cancers related to spending time searching through the rubble at Ground Zero for several months after the attacks,” Leary said. “So, we continue to lose firefighters to that horrific tragedy – some of whom have donated their time and energy to help the Foundation over the years.
“One of our board members is FDNY Battalion Chief David Morkal – who survived that day, as well,” Leary added. “We are always aware of 9/11. Every single day of the year.”
Hendrix and Smith echoed Leary’s sentiments about honoring the gravity of Sept. 11 and today’s 18-year anniversary.
The cousins recalled the exact locations they were when hearing of the news – Smith having been in a seventh-grade classroom in Knoxville, Tennessee, while Hendrix was working on a show in San Diego and received an early morning call from a friend.
“I immediately turned on the TV, saw what was happening, and over the next couple of days, some of the cast, we kept trying to go to blood banks to donate blood over our lunchtimes, and the lines were so long that we didn’t come close to getting in,” Hendrix recalled. “It was just this weird, surreal, helpless feeling … But then, to see everyone coming together, it was like, ‘Wow.’ It was just this crazy mix of emotions.”
Smith reflected on that day and said he knows how terrible the events were but didn’t fully understand “the magnitude of it all at the time.”