Dennis Smith

The firefighters and police officers who rushed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks had no idea they were going to their deaths. The first tower collapsed without warning, killing thousands of people still inside. Those in the second tower who were aware of the first tower's collapse had a few minutes' warning and many were able to get out in time. Hundreds of lives were saved by the evacuation, but the list of dead or missing includes entire companies of firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel. Reports list 403 rescue personnel as killed or still missing.

Dennis Smith retired from the Fire Department of New York in 1981, but when he heard about the disaster, he put on his old FDNY clothes, grabbed his identification, and went to see how he could help. In...