Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Bob Beckwith, a retired firefighter whose chance encounter with the U.S. president amid the rubble of ground zero became part of an iconic image of American unity after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has died. He was 91.
Beckwith died Sunday night in hospice care after dealing with cancer in recent years, his wife, Barbara Beckwith, said Monday.
Wearing his old firefighter helmet from Ladder Company 164 in Queens, the Long Island resident stood with U.S. President George W. Bush as he delivered a rousing speech to weary responders three days after hijackers crashed airplanes into the twin towers of the old World Trade Center, killing 2,753 people.
鈥淗e was just lucky. He was at the right place, at the right time, and that鈥檚 why he鈥檚 famous,鈥 Barbara Beckwith said Monday by phone from the couple鈥檚 home in Baldwin, a suburb about 30 miles from Manhattan. 鈥淏ut he was a regular guy. Well-liked and quiet. Just a regular Joe.鈥
Beckwith was 69 years old and retired for seven years following a 30-year career when he rushed to help with search-and-rescue efforts as scores of other current and former first responders did in the hours and days after the attacks.
Beckwith said he was simply looking for a good vantage point to see the president as he surveyed the destruction. But Bush made an unexpected detour and hopped aboard the crushed Engine Co. 76 truck where he was standing, Beckwith recalled to the AP on the 10th anniversary of the attacks in 2011.
Barbara Beckwith said her husband helped the president get up on the fire truck and was about to let himself down when Bush intervened, assuring his spot in history.
鈥淭he president said to him, 鈥榃here are you going?鈥欌 she recounted. "'You鈥檙e going to be right here with me.'鈥
Bush addressed firefighters, police officers and others through a bullhorn, his arm draped around Beckwith at one point.
鈥淚 can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked down these buildings will hear all of us soon,鈥 the president said as the crowd chanted, 鈥淯SA! USA!鈥
The moment, which was captured in video and photos by The Associated Press and other news outlets, became an enduring image of resilience following the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. It even landed Beckwith on the cover of Time magazine, a keepsake he proudly displayed at his home for years.
Beckwith's wake will be Friday, and he will be buried Saturday on Long Island, where he raised a family that includes six children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Bush, who remained in contact with the family over the years and even checked in as Beckwith鈥檚 health worsened, was among those who called Monday morning to send condolences, his wife said.
In a statement, the former president said Beckwith鈥檚 鈥渃ourage represented the defiant, resilient spirit of New Yorkers and Americans鈥 following the attacks.
鈥淲hen the terrorists attacked, Bob suited back up and, like so many brave first responders, raced toward the danger to save and search for others,鈥 Bush wrote Monday. 鈥淚 was proud to have Bob by my side at Ground Zero days later and privileged to stay in touch with this patriot over the years.鈥
New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh called the famous image 鈥渂oth inspiring and heartbreaking鈥 and said efforts by Beckwith and other former first responders was a 鈥渢estament to their devotion鈥 to the department.
鈥淏ob is one of the heroes of 9/11 who stood tall for America, New York City and all New Yorkers," the Uniformed Firefighters Association, a union representing NYC firefighters, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. 鈥淗e spent many hours searching for the members we lost on that fateful day in 2001.鈥
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
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