Bryan Brady

Bryan Brady, Structural Iron Worker for Local 40 in New York City, worked night shifts and was home when 9/11. On September 12, 2001, Brady reported to Ground Zero and remembered seeing the wreckage and thinking it looked like a war site.

Brady and his co-workers began lifting the steel with heavy-duty cranes from the two-110-story-buildings that had collapsed. Brady recalls the protocol of stopping work for firefighters to examine any human remains at the site.

At that time, Bryan was working 14 hours a day, and for some time, Brady’s life only consisted of working and sleeping.

One month after the attacks, a staging center was created so family members could go to Ground Zero to see the cleanup efforts. This was when he started noticing the city coming together, and the support that the rescue men and women received was unprecedented.

Many ironworkers have gravitated towards the hard work of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and have offered assistance to families of fallen first responders.