Folks across the Tri-State region will take time to remember the Sept. 11 attacks that occurred 25 years ago Friday. There are memorial walks, stair climbs, volunteer opportunities and remembrance vigils.
Gary Miller will speak at the Cincinnati Fire Museum Remembrance. The Finneytown man is the retired director of Disaster Services for the Cincinnati American Red Cross. He was sent to New York City after the attacks to run the national organization's operations at Ground Zero.
Miller spent two months in charge of coordinating thousands of volunteers and critical relief efforts for first responders, residents and families.
"We knew that people had died, naturally," Miller told WVXU news partner, WCPO, in 2019. "But we had no idea how many came out of the building. Just the enormity of itself. If somebody said they weren’t frightened at all, they were lying, you just didn’t know what to do."
In 2023, he traveled to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to donate his safety gear and site credentials from his work at Ground Zero.
According to the museum, Miller "drove a rental car from Cincinnati to New York City on September 12 and immediately helped organize the coordinated Red Cross relief efforts across the city.
"He later compared his job to that of an 'orchestra director,' ensuring all volunteers were mobilized with the resources and information needed to effectively do their jobs. He was also instrumental in maintaining the well-being of responders, making sure that all volunteers followed health and safety regulations.
"During his two months in New York City, Miller directed thousands who helped serve over 100,000 meals each day to workers on the pile. He helped secure supplies of work boots and other protective equipment for those working at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills landfill, and oversaw emergency medical teams that provided care to elderly residents living near the Trade Center who could not leave due to the loss of electricity.
"Miller also worked at the Family Assistance Center established at Pier 94, considering it among his greatest honors to help bring closure and comfort to victims’ families.
"While he recognized the importance of his own work, Miller always credited Red Cross workers from across the U.S. and other countries who came to New York to contribute to recovery and cleanup operations."
Miller's talk Friday at the Cincinnati Fire Museum starts at 10 a.m.
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