Following the footsteps of an American hero is never easy.

But that hasn't stopped people from trying.

Thousands from around the country, including many firefighters, now run in the memory of firefighter Stephen Siller at the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk in New York. Siller was one of the 343 firefighters and medics who lost their lives during 9/11.

"It's an incredible experience," said Capt. George Cortez, a firefighter based at Pumper Station 24 on Lomaland Drive in East El Paso. "There were firefighters from literally all over the world. It reminded me of why it's important and why we do what we do as firefighters."

The event is now in its seventh year. Cortez ran in 2007 as a promotion gift from his family for reaching the rank of captain.

"He had been complaining to me about how he wasn't really into his job anymore and how he was losing the passion for it. It just didn't feel right anymore," said his sister, Laura Cortez, an El Paso Realtor for Tropicana Homes. "But once he got out there and experienced it firsthand, it made made him realize just how important his job really is and how much it means to him."

Cortez, a 15-year veteran of the Fire Department, is planning to return to New York to participate in this year's run Sept. 27.

"It's very emotional," he said. "You've got firefighters in full quick hitch with a Scott bottle; you've got guys running in their dress fire department uniforms with ties and everything. You have guys who are actually carrying the gear; you have military people in full packs doing the run. It's a very powerful thing to be a part of."

The story of Stephen Siller has been well documented. On Sept. 11, 2001, after a long shift, the New York firefighter was on his way to play golf with his three older brothers when he heard on his radio scanner that the World Trade Center had been hit.

Without hesitation, Siller called his wife to let her know he would be home late, turned his truck around and headed back to his Brooklyn station, where he picked up his gear. When his truck was prohibited from entering the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Siller parked and ran toward the Twin Towers with 75 pounds of gear strapped to his back.

He never made it home. He was one of 1,366 people who died in the North Tower, leaving a wife and five children behind.

The Tunnel to Towers Run retraces Siller's footsteps on that Tuesday morning.

"You can feel his spirit and the brotherhood between firefighters," Cortez said. "You feel this closeness and a sense of responsibility for each other and when you are running, you see these blue fire department T-shirts everywhere.

"It's a very proud moment. It makes you realize you are part of something very special," he said. "You have a closer tie to the people around you even through you don't know them. It reminded me of what was important and why we do what we do. It was a real nice refresher for me; it helped me remember why I do it."

The Tunnel to Towers run and foundation was created by Siller's family -- including his wife, Sara, and brothers Russell, George and Frank -- as a way to memorialize him.

They wanted an event that dramatized who he was, something that captured his spirit. A close friend offered the idea of a race.

"What must have been going through his mind running through that tunnel with the gear on his back knowing that he has a wife and five children," Frank Siller told a nationwide audience on an "Oprah" special on 9/11. "He was a firefighter, and he knew his job was to save people."

The race has attracted men and women from all over the world. Last year, more than 250 firefighters from England ran the 5K (3.1-mile) course.

"The choice was to stop living -- to stay upset all the time -- or do something," Frank Siller said. "We chose to do something."

One of the more emotional stretches in the run is seeing firefighters holding pictures and flags of each of their 343 fallen brothers in the tunnel while cheering on the runners and walkers.

"It's shoulder-to-shoulder New York firefighters who are dressed in uniform with a banner hanging from their neck and a picture and name of one of the firefighters who died on 9/11," Cortez said. "When you are running and you see it, a guy holding a flag, banner, flag, banner, flag and you are running and running and running, it's then when you realize, man, that's a lot of people who gave their lives. You keep running and it doesn't end, and that's when you get choked up."

Although the purpose of the Stephen Siller Foundation is to honor the legacy of Siller, the New York Fire Department and all those who died on 9/11, the foundation also supports the Pediatric Unit of the New York City Firefighter Burn Center and burn centers throughout the nation. The foundation has donated nearly $550,000 to burn centers.

The "Let Us Do Good" Children's Foundation also was created to serve the needs of children who have lost one or more parents. The foundation sponsors educational scholarships, counseling, financial support and other related activities in an effort to bring hope and healing to these children.

Two years ago, Cortez was only one of four Texans to run in the event and the only one from El Paso.

He wore a blue T-shirt with a Texas plate design on the back that included a reference to the El Paso Fire Department.

"I came back and told the guys they really had to try this," Cortez said. "The event is really bigger than the race, because three miles is not really that big of a deal. But the whole experience and the whole event is incredible. When I left, I promised myself I was going to come back and do it again."

The promise to himself will be fulfilled on Sept. 27.

Victor R. Martinez may be reached at vmartinez@elpasotimes.com  546-6128.
 

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