Dennis Letts

On September 11, 2001, Dennis Letts was a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service. At around 8:30 AM that morning, he arrived at the World Trade Center garage. He met up with his colleagues and as they walked out onto the Plaza, they heard an explosion. Letts recalls feeling the heat of the explosion before he saw a fireball. He and his colleagues sought cover under the overhang of 6 World Trade Center, just before debris and wreckage began to surround them.

At one point, Letts recalls a person running towards them, pointing to the base of the North Tower, yelling that someone was in need of help. When the group arrived to assist the individual, the person was deceased. Letts recalls that it was readily apparent the person had jumped or fallen from the North Tower.

About twenty minutes later, Letts recalls the roar of the second explosion. Letts ran to the World Financial Center and sprinted across the overpass. He was able to access a hardline phone, but was not able to get through to his wife. He was, however, able to reach his mother. Letts told his mother he loved her and his family and said that he had to go. He made his way to 7 World Trade Center, where a familiar security guard directed him to the 47th floor for equipment. Upon arrival, Letts looked out the window at his surroundings; the complex burned below him. As he looked to the South Tower, it began to collapse.

In smoky conditions, Letts immediately ran down the stairs of 7 World Trade Center as fast as he could. As he arrived at the ground floor of the building, he found himself at the base of the North Tower, which was beginning to collapse. He recalls everyone scattering; even firefighters and police officers began to run. Letts was running west when the dust cloud from the North Tower’s collapse engulfed him and everyone in its path. Letts could not see or breathe, but eventually, he made it to the seawall, climbed over the fence, and waved his identification to the New York Waterway Ferry. The ferry came forward close enough for him to jump on and run to the captain for help. Together, they agreed to head south along the seawall, hoping to reach the Brooklyn Bridge. Thousands of people were beginning to gather along the seawall, desperate for help. When the boat was filled to capacity with passengers, Letts and the captain worked together to get everyone to safety in New Jersey.

Days later, Letts recalls President Bush’s arrival at the site and announcement that those who brought the Towers down would be brought to justice. It was challenging, not just for the Secret Service, but for all of the entities involved, from the NYPD to the FDNY, along with so many others, who came together to make President Bush’s visit safe.

Letts views that fateful day as an inflection point; every day after has been a gift. He believes it imperative to tell the stories of not only what individuals like himself did on September 11, but the stories of those who did not survive. Doing so is a way of honoring their sacrifice.