WATCH: Daughter of 9/11 first responder has a message for her generation

As 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001 approaches, Campus Reform reporter Ophelie Jacobson talked with Campus Reform correspondent Kayla Maloney about her personal connection to 9/11. 

Maloney’s father was a firefighter in Firehouse 4035 in Lincoln Center. Although he was off-duty on September 11th, 2001, he rushed to the scene to dig through the rubble and help rescue Americans once he heard about what happened. Maloney’s mother didn’t hear from her husband for seven days. 

Maloney says all 12 on-duty members of her father’s firehouse perished that day, but she attributes his survival to God “carrying him through”.

“I just believe that it’s a sign that God was carrying him through that day and carrying my family through the days afterwards,” she said. 

Maloney says she was was raised to never forget 9/11, and she plans on raising her children to do the same.

“Once you start to forget and once you start to allow your...media elite, your political elite tell you different stories or different versions of what happened or tell you that you don’t need to remember what happened... you allow it to happen again”. 

Maloney added that it is important for people to realize how fortunate they are to live in the United States of America. 

“Be grateful that you live in a country where our biggest problem is that we have something to lose... Be grateful for the people around you who are fighting for your protection, who are fighting for your freedoms, and who died twenty years ago and who will continue to die for you.”

Watch the full interview above to hear Maloney’s message on the importance of commemorating that infamous September day.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @OphelieJacobson