Joe Torillo recounts his first-hand experience as a firefighter on September 11, 2001. Joe was directly below the North Tower looking up as the second commercial airliner slammed into it. What transpired in the next few seconds, minutes, hours, and days are nothing shy of unbelievable. He was propelled in the air by the concussion of the falling debris of the North Tower and was literally buried alive under the falling debris, with his skull open, arm snapped and suffocating in darkness. He was rescued and placed in a boat to cross over the Hudson River for medical treatment. That effort was disrupted by falling building debris that covered the boat, where he was buried alive again. Joe’s story is a gripping account of a series of miracles that kept him alive, while hundreds of others suffered a different fate. You won’t want to miss this interview as we remember September 11th, 2001.
In this episode you will hear:
- Life-altering events can sometimes work to your benefit.
- Sometimes hidden talents are brought out of you in unexpected ways.
- You can become something bigger than yourself.
- It’s better to die than go against a brother or a friend.
- Crazy situations present opportunities to make a difference.
- God has a bigger mission for you.
- There’s something more terrible than survivor’s guilt – it’s survivor’s anger.
- Make a difference in other people’s lives.
- Be proud to be an American.
- The time may come when you’ve got to lay down your life for someone else to live.
- Civil Service is literally just that.
- On any given day, you never know what’s going to happen.
