September 11, 2001

Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Cites
U.S. Terror Responders As 'Heroes Of Civilization'

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, OCTOBER 5, 2001 — Those acting "tirelessly, endlessly, and selflessly" in behalf of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States are being called the "heroes of civilization" by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. In their honor, the commission has pledged grant funds of $100,000 to help provide relief to victims of the attacks, according to Robert W. Off, commission president.

Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., the commission, a private operating foundation established in 1904 by Andrew Carnegie, honors those in the United States and Canada who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save lives of others.

"We are in awe of—and are humbled by—the selflessness, and in many cases, the self-sacrifice, that these heroes showed in their life-saving efforts," Off said. A resolution passed by the commission cites police and fire department responders in New York City and the Washington, D.C., area as well as volunteers working at the crash sites, occupants of the World Trade Center whose rescue efforts delayed their own escape, and those aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who apparently contested control of that jetliner from the hijackers to prevent further carnage.

Especially recognized by the resolution are those "whose response was their last." "Our hearts go out to the New York City police and fire departments at this time of their great loss," Off said, referring to the hundreds of police, fire, and emergency medical personnel who died in the collapsing of the World Trade Center towers. "Their devotion to duty exacted the ultimate toll, and we regard them with profound respect."

Heroic response to the day's events poignantly exemplified Carnegie's thinking on heroism, as set forth in the commission's founding Deed of Trust. "We live in a heroic age," Carnegie wrote in 1904. "Not seldom are we thrilled by deeds of heroism where men or women are injured or lose their lives in attempting to preserve or rescue their fellows; such the heroes of civilization. The heroes of barbarism maimed or killed theirs."

Recognizing heroes is traditionally done on an individual basis by the commission, which awards each the Carnegie Medal and financial considerations. Given their scale of response, heroes of the September 11 attacks are being cited as a group, Off said.

The resolution follows.