Video: The Chevy Silverado That Stood Proud and Brought Hope on 9/11

When all hell broke lose on September 11, 2001 one off duty New York City firefighter went charging into the chaos to do whatever he could to help. As Jalopnik recently reported, on the morning of September 11th Craig Monahan was at a friend’s house enjoying time off of his job as a firefighter from Engine 24/Ladder 5.  When he saw the planes hit the Twin Towers he jumped into his Chevy Silverado, picked up another firefighter, and did the only thing he knew which was drive to the scene.  On his way he flew by stopped traffic at times on the shoulder with his friend hanging out the window making siren noises.  They drove to the Twin Towers as hoards of people ran away from them.  Monahan parked near a walking bridge, left the keys in the truck for anyone who might have to move it, and ran in to help.  When the first tower fell he stayed and kept putting out fires and running metal saws.  Then the second tower fell but Monahan still stayed and kept working.  He finally came back to his Silverado to find it covered in flaming debris with a melted front grill, headlights, and turn signals from all the heat. Monahan still had to get back to his firehouse so he reached in and turned the key. He was surprised to hear the roar of the engine which he later would call “the first victory of World War III.”  In the aftermath he learned that 11 of his fellow firefighters from Engine 24/Ladder 5 never made it out and perished in the towers.

Video: Chevy Trucks ad Featuring Craig Monahan’s Silverado

Craig Monahan wasn’t ready to retire his Silverado just yet as he would continue to drive it to the site almost every day for weeks.  It was not long until they uncovered the remains of his department’s truck, Ladder 5, as they took the sign out of the wreckage and put it on his Silverado.  When people saw Monahan drive by in the truck with the sign on it they would cheer and he said, “It helped us. It kind of empowered us a bit. We weren’t afraid of nothing down there.”  Flash forward to today when the Chevy Silverado has found a home at Hawthorne Chevrolet in New Jersey where it is stored and only gets taken out for special events and trips back to Engine 24/Ladder 5.  The truck was even featured in a 2008 Chevy Trucks television ad and Monahan donated all the money he received from featuring the truck to a firefighter’s family.  Craig Monahan is now retired from firefighting but his Chevy Silverado still stands as a sign of inspiration and pride to all those who fought through the 9/11 tragedy.  May we never forget all those true heroes that selflessly gave their lives on that day to save whoever they could.