In the greatest tragedy in the history of the fire service, 343 FDNY members died in the line of duty September 11, 2001, in the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. It’s a day no IAFF member will ever forget, but author Kristie Kiernan Bouryal says there is an entire generation of children born after 9/11 who don’t understand one of the most devastating events in United States history.
Her book, “My Buddy’s a Hero – And I Didn’t Even Know It,” is the first in a “Discovering Heroes” series that tells the story of what happened that day.
Bouryal is the daughter of retired Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) of New York Local 854 member John Kiernan. Although retired, when he heard what happened, he rushed to Rescue 1 where he’d last been assigned to help other fire fighters in responding to Ground Zero.
“Dad told his grandkids his 9/11 story because he knew it was important,” says Bouryal. “My idea for the book was to retell my dad’s narrative in a way that was appropriate for kids in grades 3-5.”
For additional information, visit the Context Production website or Amazon and the FDNY Shop.
Later books will highlight stories from other fire fighters, how some lost their lives due to 9/11 related illnesses and the effect of the terrorist attacks on fire fighter families.
