Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

On Sept. 11, 2001, Lloyd Miller … watched the World Trade Center towers crumble and his future came into focus. Miller enrolled in classes to become a firefighter … and iIn 2005, he was sworn in as a Mount Prospect firefighter/paramedic.

Just as 9/11 propelled some men and women to join the military or police forces, that infamous day and the heroism shown by many at the scene inspired a new wave of interest in firefighting.

Elgin firefighter/paramedic Kanen Terry, who is one of those people. He was 18 on 9/11. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent two six-month tours of duty in the Persian Gulf. In the Navy, he says, “everyone’s a firefighter” and he learned a lot about chemical warfare and hazardous materials. That knowledge, plus a 9/11-fueled desire to help others, led him to become a firefighter in 2009.

For Christopher Clausen, Sept. 11 intensified a desire to serve others.  Clausen, a lieutenant with the Elgin Fire Department, became the first in his family to join the fire service.

For Des Plaines firefighter Kevin Murphy, 9/11 made him re-evaluate his life and consider a firefighting career.

thanks Dan

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