It's a Numbers Game: Her Dad Died a Hero on 9/11 — 25 Years Later, His Daughter Tells His Story

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Kim Phelan shares the deeply personal story of her father, Kenneth Phelan, a New York City firefighter who died responding to the World Trade Center on 9/11. Kenneth wasn't originally supposed to work that day. He had taken time off months earlier to attend his daughter's high-school ring day and owed another firefighter a tour. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he went to work—made lunches for his four children, said goodbye to his family, and never came home. Kim recounts what it was like being a high-school student in New York City as the Twin Towers were attacked, initially worrying about an aunt who worked at the World Trade Center before realizing her own father was among the first responders who had gone into the towers. According to the account her family received, Kenneth went into the building, came back out, and then went back inside to help others. His remains were never recovered. She also opens up about the side of 9/11 that the public rarely sees: waiting for a father who would never come home, comforting a little brother asking when his dad would return, growing up without him, and watching the milestones he should have been there to experience. Twenty-five years later, Kim wants people to remember that those killed on September 11 weren't simply names on a memorial. They were fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, friends, coworkers, firefighters, police officers, and ordinary Americans living ordinary lives. For Kim, her father's legacy continues through the family he left behind—including children who followed the family's tradition of public service. And at the 9/11 Museum, another piece of Kenneth Phelan's story lives on through a special Mets jacket honoring the diehard New York sports fan. Never forget.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.