The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks is approaching next month and a prominent foundation serving first responders and servicemembers is partnering with a major beer brand as the American public remembers those who stepped forward in response to the attacks.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Anheuser-Busch have deepened their partnership in advance of the anniversary, with the company stepping in to help sponsor events around the country. Stephen Siller Jr., who manages the In the Line of Duty program at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, told FOX Business in an interview that the company stepped in to support the foundation’s “never forget” mission.
“For the 25th anniversary of September 11th, we wanted to give the country the opportunity to mourn. The events are very New York, Shanksville, Pentagon-focused – we wanted to do something this year where we traveled the country, allowing as many people as possible to pay their respects,” Siller explained.
This year, the group is traveling the country with a 21-foot, 16,900 pound beam from the South Tower of the World Trade Center with 35 stops in about 30 cities. The journey will conclude by going through a tunnel into New York City, following in the footsteps taken by Siller’s father as he responded to the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
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Stephen Siller was an FDNY firefighter who was off-duty on the day of the September 11 attacks but responded to the World Trade Center after hearing the news. When he reached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it was closed to vehicle traffic for security purposes, so he walked through the tunnel while carrying his gear to the Twin Towers, where he was tragically killed while trying to save others.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation began with a run that followed his footsteps on September 11, and has built off that tradition with a growing number of events, including a tower climb where participants go up 104 flights of stairs at the World Trade Center and hundreds of run events around the country. This year’s “Steel Across America” tour builds on that legacy.
“One of our main goals when we set out on the steel tour across America was to make sure kids like me who were nine months old or not even born at the time understand what was done for them,” Siller said.
“We’re going to be arriving back in New York, taking that piece of steel through the tunnel following the footsteps my father took that day and ending at the World Trade Center after a long four months of speaking of the stories of that day, making sure the men and women who lost their lives that day will never be forgotten,” he added.
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Anheuser-Busch has helped sponsor those events and also plans to re-air the Budweiser “Respect” commercial on September 11 for just the fourth time to commemorate the 25th anniversary.
The commercial features the brand’s iconic Clydesdale horse mascots, which are depicted traveling into New York City and bowing at the Twin Tower memorial beams and the Freedom Tower.
Cesar Vargas, chief external affairs officer at Anheuser-Busch, noted that the original “Respect” ad aired just once during the 2002 Super Bowl, and has been re-aired to mark the 10th and 20th anniversaries of 9/11. The version that will air this year is the one that first aired on the 10th anniversary and includes the Freedom Tower.
“By partnering with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to re-air the commercial, we’re following that approach, honoring the ad’s original sentiment to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11,” Vargas said.
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Vargas added that the company’s partnership serves to “honor the memory of those who were lost by providing meaningful support for the heroes who serve our communities and our country.”
Siller said that the advertisement is “in the same realm as our piece of steel is. It was a memento that is sacred, that was meant to pay respects to those who gave their lives on September 11th, those who give their lives to protect this country on a daily basis.”
The annual Tunnel to Towers NYC 5K Run & Walk is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27, which Anheuser-Busch is sponsoring for the fifth consecutive year with 250 employees, family members and friends participating. The event is capped at 30,000 participants.
The Budweiser Clydesdales will escort the Siller family in the opening procession, and the company plans to share commemorative cans at post-race gatherings.
