Inside the Castle - Ep. 174 Remembering 9/11: A Solemn Duty and the USACE Response

On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Inside the Castle pauses to honor the nearly 3,000 precious lives lost and the unimaginable courage of the first responders who ran toward the danger. In this solemn episode, podcast hosts Reagan Lauritzen and Amy Snively talk with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Historian Dr. John Lonnquest and USACE Curator Eric Reinert to reflect on USACE’s rapid mobilization and the sacred duty of preserving that history. The discussion covers the critical, behind-the-scenes engineering efforts at the Pentagon and Ground Zero—from structural triage and environmental remediation to the painstaking debris recovery mission. The episode also highlights an incredible, lesser-known story of immediate response: amid the chaos, USACE boat crews from the Caven Point Marine Terminal in NJ shuttled thousands of stranded citizens across the Hudson River to safety, returning with critical fuel and supplies for the fireboats and emergency responders on station. Finally, the episode explores how the USACE Office of History has preserved these memories, featuring a selection of artifacts collected by the Office of History. These artifacts are now part of the “Steel and Stone: Engineering the Response to 9/11” exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army. To read more about USACE's response and other significant events in the organization's history, read "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: An Illustrated History, 1775-2025," and "Continuing the Mission: A History of the New York District from 1975-2005."