Twenty-Five Years Later: The Story of 9/11 Every American Should Hear

A firsthand account of survival, leadership, and loss on the deadliest day in American law enforcement history.

McLean, VA (September 11, 2026) - Twenty‑five years ago, on September 11, 2001, the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) suffered the greatest single‑day loss of life in American law‑enforcement history. Thirty‑seven officers never came home. For most people, that number is a statistic. For Joseph Morris — then the commanding officer at LaGuardia Airport — it became the moment his entire world changed. In a powerful two‑part Heroes Behind the Badge interview from last year, Chief Morris recounts how he mobilized his team, raced to the World Trade Center, and arrived just minutes before the South Tower collapsed. What happened next would place him in command of the surviving Port Authority officers at Ground Zero, responsible for leading the rescue and recovery effort after losing nearly his entire chain of command.

In Part 1, Chief Morris walks us through the morning of 9/11 as he lived it. Continue reading for free on Substack: https://behindbadge.substack.com/p/twenty-five-years-later-the-story?r=1czbfs