FRANK SILLER

Published Aug 24, 2021, 11:30 AM

Twenty years ago, on September 11, 2001, our world changed forever. Stephen Siller, a young firefighter from Staten Island was one of thousands of lives lost while trying to save others from the collapsing twin towers. Afterward, his family, lead by brother, Frank Siller, started the Tunnel to Towers Foundation with the mission to pay off the mortgages of fallen first responders, easing the financial burden of loved ones left behind. Since that time, they've expanded their scope to encompass families of all first responders who don't make it home, and are building some of the most advanced "smart" homes for mortally wounded military personnel. It's their way of honoring their brother's life and by taking the advice of St. Francis, "Brothers and sisters, while you have time, do good." This is a powerful, moving, podcast episode on the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Prepare your hearts. ~ Delilah

Podcast host: Delilah, Executive Producer: DeAnna Luke, Audio Producer: Leisa Wells

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Twenty years ago, twenty two decades ago. This September eleven, nearly three thousand lives were lost in the coordinated attacks upon the World Trade Center, New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, d C. And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where hijacked United Airlines Flight nine crashed after passengers sacrificed their own lives to prevent the terrorists from carrying out their larger mission. On this day, New York City firefighter Stephen Siller ran with other first responders through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Tours, where he gave his life saving others. Since that day, Stephen's brother, Frank Siller, has made it his mission to provide mortgage free homes to gold star and fallen first responder families with young children, and to build custom designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, as a way of honoring his little brother's sacrifice and all who gave their lives for us. On September eleventh, two thousand and one, Frank founded the Tunnel Two Towers Foundation Tunnel because his brother Stephen ran through the tunnel to the towers. He founded the organization in two thousand and one, and he has served as chairman, which is an unpaid volunteer position since its inception. It's his whole life mission. It supports America's heroes in their families and helps our nation to keep its commitment to never forget. This is going to be a powerful and moving episode of Loves Someone. I suggest you settle in, grab some tissue, prepare yourself for some strong emotional responses. I am honored to hear Frank's story and to help him share it with all of the We will be speaking with Frank Siller, founder of Tunnel two Towers next. Right now, I want to give some well deserved credit to one of my amazing podcast sponsors who make this very conversation possible. This podcast is sponsored by Better Help, a company set up to help people. It's not a crisis line or self help group, but a group of professionals who provide counseling that's done securely online. They make it possible for you to talk with them from the comfort of your own home or office. You don't have to limit yourself to counselors near you, and it's much more affordable than traditional counseling with financial aid available. Better Help matches you with licensed professionals that specialize in everything from depression, distress, family conflict, trauma, grief, to self esteem and much more. Everything is confidential and it's easy to make appointments via video or phone. They can help you start living a happier life today. Received ten percent off your first month by visiting better Help dot com. Slash Love Someone. That's b E T T E r h E l P dot com slash love Someone. Over one million people have taken charge of their mental health with Better Help. So welcome Frank to Love Someone. We chose the name of this podcast love Someone because that's my daily mission is to share real love in a dark world. And boy, have you been doing that In honor of your brother for twenty years now. Tunnels to Towers is the name of your organization to honor Stephen, your brother who paid the ultimate price. No greater love is there than this that you would lay down your life for a friend and he laid down his for complete strangers. So tell me about your brother and how that inspired you to birth this organization. Well, you know we have I have to go back to when my brother was a little boy. Really for people to understand the unbelovable loss that we had as a family. On September eleven, two thousand and one. So Stephen was the youngest of seven kids. My mother was forty I was forty five when she gave birth to my brother Stephen. Did she think she was done? Like had she like put all the toddler toys away, given them out at garage sales and was moving on fourteen years earlier because I was closest in age and I'm fourteen years older than Stephen, So he really was a surprise. No, he was a miracle. He was a little angel. He was a little miracle. And uh, he was just like the more of the family. It's just really very close. You know. My mother had six kids by the time she was thirty, and then she had him almost, like I said, forty five. And then so when he was eight and a half, my father died and a year and a half later my mom died. So at ten years old, he was really often although he was blessed that he had much older siblings. My brother Russ was twenty five years older than Stephen, and uh, like I said, I was the closest in age of fourteen years older, so I was in my twenties. My brother Russ was in his thirties when my parents died, so we raised him primarily my brother Russ Rockfell Sentiment, Long Island, but Stephen was born and raised on Staaten Island until he was ten years old and then was out in Rockfell Center. So he had a very early age realized that every day was precious, life was very precious. And then he you know, grows up, comes back to State night and lives at me for a short period time, gets reintroduced who a girl who used to walk to school with it when he was in the like second, third, fourth grade. You know, they fall in love, they get married. I mean, it's just it's it's a fairy tale, and they get married, they have five beautiful kids. Oh my word, he's on top of the world. He's on top of the world. He becomes a firefighter at age seven. He's got everything to live for. And then he's finished his night tour. On September elevens, two thousand and one, is on his way home to play golf with my brother Rush, my brother George, myself and him. The four brothers were going to play golf. He is on the radio scanner that the towers were hit. Goes back to his firehouse, gets his gear, goes to the mouth of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, where it's closed for security reasons. That tunnel is almost two miles long. He strapped sixty pounds of five year on his back and runs through that tunnel, comes out the other side, goes up West Street, goes into what we believe the South Tower because he was never recovered, but he lost the eleven firefighter brothers that he were with that day. They were all in the South Tower and Uh goes up those stairs and all saving people, he gives up his life. So we were just overcome with emotion, obviously just on the day itself, but then finding out what he did. We knew that we had to do something as a family to honor and respect not only what Stephen did that day, but so many heroes did that day. And that's why we started the Tunnel to Towers Foundation in honor of all those who perish, but most certainly my brother. Oh. I can tell you shared this story many times because you do it without hesitation. Well, it's a story I've been sharing for twenty years and look, our mission is pretty clear. It's very simple. We want to make sure we never forget. That's the number one mission, and we do a lot of beautiful things. We'll get to that, but the first mission is to never forget once again, not just Stephen, but all the two thousand, nine seventy seven souls that died that day. The second is to honor them, and we honor them by doing good. And doing good is something that we've been living by. My parents were Franciscans. San Francis said, brothers and sisters, while you have time, let us do good. And that is very simple, and that's our model that we live by. Let us do good. That's all the Foundation wants to do good. And we do good by taking care of the greatest of all Americans, those Delilah who are willing to die for you and for me. And that's what we did. We take care of the families that are left behind, and then we celebrate their lives. We have to celebrate their lives because they don't want us to be said. They want us to enjoy life the best that you can, because you'll have bad days. But we want to enjoy life the best you can, but you want to celebrate what they did and their lives, and you can only do that in the joyous way, and we do that all the time. We have a big run every year in September we emulate what Stephen did, his final heroic footsteps. We have forty people run through that tunnel, thousands of firefighters, thousands of police office running the turnout here, thousands of military rucket you know, they put their backpacks on phill it rocks, you name it. They fill it. They want that weight, they want that challenge, they want to respect what was done that day. It is just so moving. You come out of the Brooklyn Battery tunnel and when you run through it, it's almost, like I said, almost two miles long. When you come out, we have pictures of every five fighter and police officers that died that thing. When you come out of the tunnel, that's what you see. We're all lined up. We put a face to a number, and it's very important that these great Americans are aren't forgotten. So that's what you do. You come there. But at the end I called the Miracle the Lows. We feed all these thirty people and we have a music festival we're honoring them in a beautiful family way, and it's just the most patriotic day and event you can pass. So yeah, less but not least on that day. We have west points to debt that running cadence through that tunnel and that chanting, and they're running with a lot of the catastrophically agied service members that we built specially adopted mortgage free smart homes for and they're going through and they it's just I can't so that the cadets are in cadence with the wounded warriors, with the most catastrophically aged service members. That's what we built for the most catastrophically aged service members, double triple, quadruple empetees, quadriplegic paraplegics, and they're going through the tunnel to absolutely we had a quadruple MPT Todd nicely second quadruple empathy ever survived in the battlefield. He's out of St. Louis. He puts on his prosthetics. By the way, it takes him about an hour to get ready in the morning, just to get out of bed, but he puts on all four his proscetics. He does the run. He runs through that tunnel, and it's it's just incredible. A lot of them have to be in wheelchairs. People have helped, you know, we push them, you know, through on their wheelchairs. Whatever others do us a bite, whatever it may be. We have so many catastrophically agi of service members that do it. And yes, West Point that's are guarding them. It's like an honor God. They run alongside of them and they're chanting and they say, it's just so uplifting, it's incredible. Have you made a movie or a documentary just about that. Documentaries, Yes, we have just that picture you just painted alone of these young fresh faced cadets. Yes, in uniform, I'm guessing, or in fatigues. Yeah, they're you know the tees. Yes, it's incredible. I mean just just that mental image right now is breaking my heart in such a good way. Well, now, then they go down the West Point of Debts, go down to ground zero, and the commandant or superintendent they go there and they and they go to ground zero right there, and they talk about the importance of why they're serving their country and they say, you know, hey, look at those guys that you just ran with, you know, look at the sacrifice they made. And you're willing to sign up and do that because we're all volunteer military. We were blessed in this country that we have Americans are willing to stand up and protect us. It's incredible. So it's just the whole day is very emotional, but it's so beautiful and so uplifting too because, like I said, my brother ran through that tunnel, but he came out the other side. Now he came out the other side to help. So as a family, we chose that when we go through our tunnel, our sadness or despair, the loss of our little brother and of so many others. I lost a lot of friends that say, besides, and we have to come through that tone come out the other side, and we have to help. And that's what our foundation does. We want to make sure we take care of these families because not what's what he serves and could be a military, it could be a police officer, could be a firefighter, law enforcement union. When somebody serves, the whole family serves. Yeah, amen to that. My My oldest son is a police officer and his whole family. He has four kids and a wife that's been by his side through thick and thin through the tunnels of life for you know, almost two decades now and they all pay the price, they all served. They all it's not a job, it's a life, it's a calling. So tunnels, the Talas Foundation and the people listening, they can go to t the number two, T dot org T the number two and T dot org Tunnels to towers is what it stands for. Right, and we asked people donate as little as eleven dollars a month. But listen, this is our promise in our contract. We when we want people to join us on our mission that when these great American heroes go serve the community or their country, right and they give their kids a kiss goodbye and they don't come home, we want to deliver them a mortgage free home. So if they have a mortgage three hundred thousand dollar mortgage, whatever it is, four to fifty, whatever it is, we want to pay that mortgage off. Because that should be the promise that we have as Americans to these families that if they're willing to protect us and willing to die for us, and when that happens, because it does happen, that we're going to take care of their families and that's all promised as a foundation that we're going to take care every every first responder in America that dies in the line of duty that leaves a young family behind. And we've been doing that, but we only do because people go and join us on a mission, donate as littles eleven dollars a month. You know, many hands makes light work, and that's why we count on many people to join us. How many people do you think participate in the runs that happen every year, Well, just two or three hundred people. And I'm and some runs have six seven thousand, but our run has forty thou so, uh, you know, so hundreds of thousands of people. But we have stair climbs, we have golf outings, we have events that people put on for us all over America because they want to join us. Because you know what, here's the thing. We're four stall rating. That's the highs you can get. We're a hundred transparency and last year in we just did our tax return, we're ninety five cents of every dollar goes to our programs. I don't get paid, my siblings don't get paid. We have tens of thousands of volunteers we deliver. We don't just say we deliver it so people could see where their money goes. So you see this picture here, it's with forty eight Medal of Honor recipients, forty eight of them. They sent it to me. It's a beautiful picture. Of course, my picture of me and my wife and my six grandchildren. That's the most important picture to me. Uh And portraits of people that have sacrificed. It's all about family for us, but it's also about a country. We're going to take a break right now. We're talking with the gentleman who started the Tunnels to Tower organization charity project, and we will come right back and talk a little bit more about your heart, about your passion, and about ways that people can get involved. This podcast episode is all about an organization that provides help and hope to some very deserving recipients. Not unlike today's sponsor Mercy Ships. Mercy Ship sends floating hospitals to some of the poorest countries in the world with the crew of medical professionals that provide free life changing surgeries to some very grateful patients. They are sustained entirely by the generosity of volunteers and donors just like you. You can help in three ways. You can give, you can go, and you can pray. And more about the organization volunteer opportunities and how to make a donation by visiting Mercy ships dot org slash love. That's Mercy Ships dot org slash love. We are back, and I'm kind of quiet today. I'm kind of subdued because when we open this podcast, you were describing what Stephen did one eleven running through the tunnel, and my podcast producer sent me all the information beforehand, so I knew that I get like that all the time. So you're very genuine and I and I appreciate it, and uh, it is heartbreaking, but it is so inspiring what my brother did, and that he inspired us to be better, not better. That's amazing because if that were my little brother, I don't know that I wouldn't be a little bit better. No, I was better. I can't tell you I wasn't. That being said, I know that he doesn't want us to be said. We want to do good in this world and and then most certainly for our country, so that that's what we focus on. What a gift of peace that must be for thousands of people, and it is thousands and yes. And I call almost every single widow myself and I talked to them. Over the last twenty years. I've learned how to speak to somebody who is grieving and such an unbelievable loss. And I I almost every one of them. I say, Tom, do you believe in life after death? No one said no to me, be quite frank with you, and they say, yes, I do, and I and then I changed and I said, no, I'm not talking about for your husband. I'm talking about for you. Is life after death for you? And you have to realize that the best way to honor somebody. And I'm not telling anybody had to grieve and how to get through things, not doing that, but I think the best way to honor somebody is to have a full, good life, live a good life. And they have to realize and in the beginning, of course, you just can't even get out of bed, almost in the beginning, But then when they realize that people care, that's important. And I think that that's a message that we bring to these widows, well widow, is that people care. They don't know me, that we're somebody that they didn't even know. And here we are saying we're gonna pay off your mortgage and you're gonna be able to stay in the house that you were making all the memories with your husband and your kids and you can stay there. And that's a tremendous burden lift off that family, tremendous financial work. Because we all know the biggest expense we all have right is our mortgage and that it's done. So what does that do That enables some of these families with the mother or father can stay home and or work part times a full time, two jobs or whatever to pay mortgage and two and to feed your kids. Yeah, it's hard enough to lose one parent, and like you said, if the parent left behind then has to assume that financial obligation. You lose two parents. Yes, you lose the parent who passed on and you lose the parent who has now gone, you know, eighteen hours a day trying to provide. So you're right, you're you're giving those kids mom or dad, whoever is left behind, You're giving them them more fully. And how did I mean, how did this come to you? Like you're grieving you lost your baby brother. He was never recovered so now you've got grief on top of grief. I lost a brother in an airplane accident. We didn't have the body, we didn't have the remains, we didn't know what happened for years. So I know that compounded grief of not having that closure. How long after you lost Stephen, Frank, did you go you know what I could do? This I could help I could help impact the lives of families like Stevens. Walk me through that process. How God imparted that upon your heart? The truth is we've been guided the whole way. Albeit we did decide very early on. I remember talking to my sister in law, and this is only weeks after my brother was gone. I said, I think we should start a foundation to honor what Stephen did and help kids. Why not help, you know, these kids that are left behind when they died in the line of duty. So that's when we first thought it. But I'm gonna tell you we were doing a lot. But in two thousand and ten, the first ever quadruple amputee that ever survived any war was from where Stephen was born where I was born, in stan Island, New York, and I went down to visit him and Walter Reid Army Medical Centers. Name is Sawgeant Brenda Morocco, and I was down there. I was talking to him, and I said, Brenda, kind the tunnels, the tower was foundation, build you a mortgage free home. And he accepted, and we've delivered June eleventh, two thousand and eleven. So it was almost on the tenth anniversaries, three months of the tenth anniversary nine eleven. So we were doing a lot, you know, raising a million dollars a year, seven hundred thousand dollars or whatever up it to that point. But now we built this house, had raised the coast over seven hundred thousand dollars to build this house in the New York area. I don't have to tell you that. And um, we put all this small technology in it. And then there was two more quadruple emputees right away that survived. And we said, well, we built for Brendon, we have to build for these two guys. So I'm down to Walter read all the time. We meet more and more, so it ends up being five quaduble amputees. But there's thirty eight triple amputees. I was visiting, So I said on the anniversary the tenth Anniversity nine eleven, we had a small concert. We told stories of nine eleven. We told some stories of different families. We didn't even tell my brother's story. We told other people's stories, right, And I was on the stage giving a few words, and I said, look, we're building these houses for troople emputees. There's thirty eight triple emputees. And said, now we're going to build these thirty eight houses for tree blamp. Out of your mouth came that commitment. And then you're like, oh, wait a minute. I said it out loud, and I do that all the time, Delilah. That's what I learned in life. Say it out loud, and you have to complete it. So I said it out loud that day my sisters, and what, oh my god, what's he throwing up there? You know, because to fathom that is millions of dollars. But I know God takes care of us because we're so pure that what we're doing is so pure. I know they would attract people to us that can help us build these houses. I had the utmost confidence, and we have. We built so many of these smart homes all over the country. But that's how we started with smart homes. But I'm gonna tell you how we started with paying off the mortgages for police officers and first responders. December twenty of two thousand and fourteen, New York City, there was two police officers sitting in their car and somebody come up out of Baltimore and they thought it was all right to kilicopters because they had a blue uniform up and it came out and assassinate him sitting in their cup just Bom detectors Loo and detectives ramas you probably remember it. It was, yeah. So I went and visited the family on Christmas Eve. We went there and we heard that they were concerned about their mortgages and how they're gonna stay in the house. Bees. These were the read winners of the family, and we said, we're gonna pay off your mortgage. We raised enough money in ten days not only pay off the mortgage, but we remodeled their homes. So I saw the difference did that make? And I said, you know what, we gotta do this now for all police officers and first responders. So we took on that commitment, and you know what, because more and more people join us. Once again t the number two t dot org sty is a tunnel two towers t the number two T dot org. They donate eleven dollars a month. We're able to take care of these families, but I need a lot more. My hope is and I pray for this. You know that we had a million people join us on this mission. We could take care of every police officer, every firefighter, every first respond to, every military personnel that dies online of duty. And it leave young kids behind every year, forever, forever. That's Frank. My show has never been and never will be political. I will never take a political stand because my I want my show to be inclusive and I don't want anyone to ever feel that they don't belong. And that was just the point I was going to make. The beautiful thing about what you're doing is if you if you have an ounce of gratitude in your heart for the country that we of in the lifestyles we've been blessed with the freedoms we enjoy, saying thank you in a tangible way. It's one thing, you know. I always walk up whenever I see anybody in uniform, anybody, firefighter, police officer, military person. I always try to walk over and say thank you. I appreciate the sacrifices you make, and that might hopefully touch their heart for a minute. But if you truly want to put your love in action, and you truly want to say thank you, what a beautiful way to do it. Two cups of coffee a month I drink, you know, I drink dirty chai latte is about once a week. I don't drink coffee. I'm a tea drinker. But about once a week I might treat myself and go through a coffee stand. And if I decided not to do that, that would be about twenty bucks a month. Bucks a month that I could easily and never even miss never you never miss it. And and people can watch when we delivered these house, they could say I was part of that. It's that's how the beauty of it. I helped give this military guys family who died for our country a votygage free home. Or I helped this firefighter who ran up a building and fell through a floor and died left kids behind. I helped pay their mortgage. Speaking of kids, how are Steven's kids? You said he had five there, They're great kids, the great individuals so we're blessing that. But listen, they were fortunate, they were surrounded by a lot of love. On My sister in law's family is phenomenal, and they've stepped up. They've just been terrific. And you know, as far as our family is concerned, with such pain, the asses, you couldn't get rid of us, even if even if you so, you know, we said to say we knew the routine because we know that. You know, when Stephen went through when he was a little boy. Now now his kids have to go through that. But how many lives has your brother's life in the sacrifice he made impacted. I I agree with you. It's incredible. And one day he'll he will be joined with a lot of special people, there's no question about it. In the meantime, we got a whole lot of living to do and a whole lot of houses to build. Exactly, So T the number two T tunnel, two towers dot org. But you go to T the number two T dot org, T the number two T dot org. All right, Well, hopefully many many people will say, you know what, I don't need that coffee. I'm gonna donate eleven dollars a month or maybe they'll say I lost my brother, I lost my sister, I lost my mom, and the their their memory. I'm going to donate my coffee every week, but I'm gonna also step up and donate one for mom or dad. Think how many houses we could build in we I'm already a part of it. We like it. I like the way you're saying that, but that's exactly what I want. I want everyone to take ownership and say we delivered this house. That's what I want. It is not about just my brother, It's about the people we help. And if everybody comes together, we as a contry, we can take care of the greatest of all Americans. Here. Here's the thing. I think a lot of people feel helpless right now watching things go on around us that are just mind boggling, and a lot of us feel frustrated because we are powerless to do anything. But by doing this, by joining your efforts, by making a donation, by getting involved, by doing the runs, by sponsoring a run, how many people listening to my voice and say you know what I do that I could organize twenty of my best friends and we could do a nine eleven run, and we could raise money. We could ask for pledges, we could get our kids involved. We could have our kids do uh an obstacle course at the farm, and we could raise money. They could get pledges and we could donate that too, tunnel to towers and impact the lives of our first responders. It's a it's a really sweet way to feel empowered to make a difference, and it's a great way to get your family two as kids that don't even know about what happened on nine eleven, it's a dautiful thing everything. And look, kids are magnificent. You give them an opportunity to do something good, they're gonna do it. But they only take the lead from their parents. And as parents, we better make sure and grandparents that we set a good example, that we take care of the people that give us this country. As you said earlier, Delilah, right we live in this great country is because we are beautiful people that protect us, that give us this way of life. And it comes a price with that and price in some cases are paid by the ultimate sacrifice. And we better take care of these families. It's that simple. T the number two T dot org go there now. As soon as you finished listening to this podcast t the number two t dot org and be a blessing and impact someone's lives. Thank you, thank you, Thank you, Frank. Thank you for being here with us. Thank you. It was beautiful. Hopefully we do this again one day, all right, thank you night. Twenty years ago seems like a long time, but for those who were there, for those who lost their loved ones, their friends, their co workers, their neighbors, or their brother, that day is vivid and wrong. For America and for the world, our trust in our fellow man was shaken. Frank and those who worked tirelessly to support not only not only the first responders families from nine eleven, but our military and our first responders today are doing their part to revive our trust and goodness and hope, because while we will never forget the tragedies of nine eleven, we also must never stop believing that love wins. Frank sat down with me just before he embarked upon his commemorative never Forget Walk, a five hundred mile journey that will see him trekking through six states in six weeks time. He kicked it off on August one at the Pentagon in Washington, d C. And is now twenty four days into his mission that will also take him through Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and will end up at Ground Zero in New York City on September eleven. He'll be joined by gold Star and Fallen first responder family members, nine eleven family members, firefighters, law enforcement, veterans, dignitaries, and others along the route. In the final segment on nine eleven one, Frank will retrace his brother's footsteps as he raced towards the Towers twenty years ago. I am so grateful to Frank and those like him who take it upon themselves to do good. When we first started the conversation, he said he wants to do good. You can to learn more about Tunnel to Towers Foundation t the number two t T two t dot org followed Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram at Tunnel two Towers. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today as we told Stephen's story. Join me here on Love Someone next time, and on the air each and every night. You know, I'm on the air every night right where I do my best to shine a light of love into dark corners to soothe some aching hearts. And to ask you to remind you to reach out and love some den I love

LOVE SOMEONE with Delilah

In a world that can feel divisive and bleak, it's easy to get caught up in feelings of hopelessness, 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 182 clip(s)