Honoring the 12th anniversary of 9/11, the eighth-grade students of Voorhees Middle School gathered in the auditorium for a truly unique presentation by World Trade Center survivor Lou Giaccardo on Sept. 11.
Coordinated by eighth-grade teachers Traci Brosius and Eileen Penman, Giaccardo told his story of survival as well as giving historical context to the attacks, the aftermath and the memorial that currently stands at Ground Zero.
Penman explained that while most people older than 20 remember the attacks on the World Trade Center firsthand, students who are currently in eighth grade were only 1 or 2 years old when the event happened.
“To them this is history,” Penman said. “So it’s great to have a primary source.”
Penman and Giaccardo both attended the same college and stayed connected throughout the years on Facebook. She explained that Giaccardo had recently offered to visit schools as a presenter on Facebook.
“I took him up on his offer,” Giaccardo said.
For approximately an hour, Giaccardo told in detail the events that unfolded while he was working on the eighty-second floor of the second tower on Sept. 11, 2001.
Witnessing what he described as a giant fireball coming toward the window, Giaccardo says he watched the fireball fall to the ground — later detecting jet fuel fumes.
“I had never smelled jet fuel before, but I knew that smell was jet fuel,” Giaccardo said.
He explained that was when he and several coworkers began to evacuate their floor, leading 40 to 50 people out of their cubicles and into the elevator. With the elevator packed to full capacity, Giaccardo decided he would take the stairs down.
Yet, when he opened the door to the stairs, what he thought would be a walk down 82 flights of empty stairs crumbled upon seeing the hordes of people who had opted to take the stairs down as well.
“That’s the first time I really felt fear,” Giaccardo said.
He added that his legs had given out because of the fear, but he found the strength to continue after remembering that his son’s second birthday was only a day away and that he was not going to miss it.
Giaccardo stressed to the group that if they found themselves in a dire situation, such as his, to think of loved ones for strength. Both of Giaccardo’s sons, Lou Jr., 16, and Shane, 14, were present for their father’s presentation.
Following the assembly, a portion of the students joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to Shane, knowing that his birthday was upcoming — something Lou Giaccardo said made him happy to hear.
“It’s always emotional approaching this date,” Giaccardo said.
He explained that while retelling his story is always bringing up emotions from that day, the response he gets from those who attend his presentations make it worthwhile.
“The feedback is great, and that’s why I do it,” Giaccardo said.
Giaccardo currently resides in Haddon Township and works in Philadelphia. While formerly appearing on programs such as the “Montel Williams Show” and speaking on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Giaccardo now visits local schools and organizations to tell his story.
In addition to Voorhees Middle School, Giaccardo also visited Triton High School earlier in the day. He has in the past visited local schools, such as Audubon High School, Highland High School and Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa.
