Daniel Suhr: A Story of September 11th

by Paul Conlon

On September 11, 2001 no one in the south tower survived. Yet sixteen firefighters were ordered into the building moments before it collapsed, and thirteen of them are still alive. This is the story of Daniel Suhr, the firefighter who saved them. Daniel Suhr was a member of Engine Company 216 and was the first FDNY Firefighter to perish on 911. This book takes us from the kitchen table in the firehouse in Williamsburg Brooklyn, to the response of Engine 216 into Manhattan, to the arrival at the World Trade Center, to the catastrophic collapse of the towers, to the desperate search for survivors, and to the days and weeks that followed. This book portrays the human condition and the vulnerabilities and fragility of life. It describes the tragic loss of one soul, one soul as representative of the thousands who died, and, ultimately, leads to rebirth and renewal and remembrance. All proceeds will be donated to charity, including The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the FDNY Counseling Services Unit and the St Francis Breadline in NYC.

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 9, 2021

Reviews

[Travis Hopwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul authors a moving account of his experience of 9/11. As a fellow firefighter, I was particularly moved by the account. I guess I want to say thank you for making this story known...it's a wonderful, personal account of the enormous event.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh, I think it might be hard for me to find words (though, that usually isn't a problem for me.) I was only 9 when 9/11 happened, but my dad is first cousins with Dan and so it all felt very close to home even from that young age. Reading this book on the 20th anniversary of the attacks felt particularly poignant and overwhelming at times, (I paused to cry more than once) but I am left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for Dan and the lives he saved that day and also for all of the first responders and human beings who so selflessly put their lives on the line that day and on all the days following.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent description of the personal impact 9/11 had on firefighters, told through the eyes of a Captain who lost a firefighter that day. Definitely not a description of the overall operations that day - just the experience of one Engine company.

An amazing read. If you're a Firefighter, you really should read this book. If you're a first responder, you should read this book. If you want insights into how calls affect emergency personnel, you should read this book.

Did I mention that all proceeds go to the FDNY Counseling unit and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation?

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The simplicity is the brilliance of this story. Beautiful. Remember yesterday when I wondered what could top report from ground zero? Well this did it.

[Lauren Lavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful yet heart wrenching story of a hero. As a fireman’s daughter, this really hit close to home, but I’m so glad I read it. Daniel seemed like an incredible man, and his memory will live on thanks to this book. May all of those who perished on 9/11 Rest In Peace

[David Biesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that brings a national tragedy and a family tragedy together. Conlon gives us a very personal look at the September 11 attack.

[Lenny D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The engine company from New Jersey was sent back sometime after 6:00 AM and I left the firehouse at 7:00. I drove east on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, back towards Queens, towards home. That morning the road was empty. My eyes were beginning to heal; they were still scratched, but not as raw. I think the tears helped. I looked to my left as I drove, toward Manhattan, and the buildings sticking up into the sky looked incredibly vulnerable, defenseless, like targets. They looked jagged, exposed, arrogant. Or maybe innocent. Old fashioned. They looked like they were built in ancient times, some distant epoch, before any of this could have been imagined. (129)

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Paul Conlon for unloading this experience onto the page. He’s created here the most vivid account of the World Trade Center attacks I’ve ever read. For subject matter that has been covered endlessly with research and theory and mythmaking, this is 9/11 as direct bodily trauma.

This is not the account of some distant expert. Paul Conlon was a career member of the FDNY who not only led one of the very first teams of responders on September 11th, but tragically witnessed the first FDNY fatality that day. That firefighter was Daniel Suhr. He was a member of Conlon’s company. Conlon didn’t know Suhr closely, but it was thanks to that man’s sacrifice that Conlon and his team diverted to provide him medical attention and did not enter the North Tower, almost certainly saving their lives.

Doctor Kelly exited the ambulance and let me know with the slightest shake of her head that Danny had either already expired or that he wasn’t going to make it. It struck me that now this was a fatal fire, the dreaded parlance used in the fire department when a firefighter dies while fighting a fire. (52)

Moments later, the South Tower was struck.

The haze of the smoke, the ringing in the ears, the concussed rationality; this is what happened that day. September 11th pitted the FDNY’s toolkit, technological and mental, against an unimaginable challenge. And no one in this recounting failed to rise up.

I didn’t know that Daniel Suhr was a football player, a middle linebacker. I didn’t know his nickname was Captain America. I didn’t know how quick he was, how focused. When Chief Gerard Barbara ordered us into Two World Trade Center, Daniel stepped off towards the building and said, “This is a terrible day. Let’s do this fast.” (47)

This is the ultimate story of first responders running to the spot everyone else is fleeing. And what they do there, Conlon writes, is solve problems. Endlessly. Even when they are reeling from oxygen deprivation and conscious only thanks to adrenaline, they are trying to solve tactical problems. They use their training. They adhere to the chain of command, however changing, to act with maximum strategy. I came away from this impressed with how functional the FDNY really was.

Conlon centers his story not on a lurid tale of 9/11, but on the men who stepped into the fire. We learn about their lives and see their families. The central insight is that the fire department is not a machine. It’s a brotherhood of humans — calling each other by name even from far-flung parts of the city — who act with inhuman bravery.

Briana and the other little kids were running around the living room, laughing, playing. Briana saw her mother and ran up to her. Nancy crouched and put her arms around her daughter and pulled her close. Nancy felt the small body of her two-year-old, sturdy and warm. When she let go Briana stood and looked into her mother’s eyes. And in the middle of the crowded room, with all the adults watching and listening, and all of them trying to hold back tears, she asked, “Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s in heaven with God,” Nancy said. The words came out simply, without hesitation.

“Why?” Briana asked.

“Because God needs some good people to help him out,” Nancy said. (86)

So much of this book must have been typed through tears. But ever the firefighter, Conlon translated his trauma into concrete action and preserved his worst memory the way he felt it should be preserved. Again, we owe a debt of gratitude to Conlon for being part of the brotherhood that protects us, and for giving us this raw, sad story of heroism.

[ED Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a fine book about this wonderful firefighter and all the others that responded to the tragedy that happened on 9-11. I especially enjoyed reading this solemn story
as I too was effected by the acts of 9-11. My wife was working in the Pentagon when it also was attack. Fortunately she was on the opposite side of the building when the plane hit. It took me 4 hours to find out she was alright. There were a lot of heroes that day. All of us, must always remember and never forget those that did not survive that fateful day.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true account of 9-11 was written by a childhood friend. We all know what happened on 9-11, However, there are thousands of untold stories of what people experienced that day. Paul has written his story and tried to tell us about his friend, a fellow firefighter, and a brother who died on that day. I'm sure it was very difficult to write. Grateful that he took the time to do it - for us and for history.

[Bill Hogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Excellent read. Riveting! Felt the emotion right along with the firefighters and the family . I served with The Salvation Army and could picture all these sights.

[Cheri Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

I enjoyed the minute by minute details of this story. The interesting stories of what the different firemen and their companies did on 911 and days after.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly moving and personal account of a day that holds as much relevance now as it did when it happened. Paul has clearly given his all in writing this and I could feel the emotion radiating from the pages as I was reading. From one firefighter to another, thank you for sharing this story. It was beautifully told.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Conlon gives you an emotional and moving view of what it was like to be at Ground Zero on 9-11. Definitely worth reading.

[Maria Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sad story to read one of many firefighters who lost their lives that day. The way he lost his life was so unimaginable. His story just like many others were sad to read about. Although I didn't know anyone who lost their life, I felt the hurt and pain everyone was feeling on that day. Many people came together to help out someone.
There are many stories different and alike of people who never made it home from the people at the Towers, the Pentagon, flight 93 and the other 3 planes.
No one new that the Twin Towers would fall the way they did. I remember being in the building once but that was a long time ago. My dad was always so fascinated by the structures of the buildings. He took pictures of them and had them in his home. God bless to everyone who lost their lives and their families, and friends.