New York City firefighters, from left, John Graziano, Ken Christiansen, Gary Rishell and Warren Forsyth stand around a sculpture made from a piece of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center's north tower on Wednesday in Vail. The firefighters were bringing the sculpture to Aspen.  Dominique Taylor/Vail Daily

 

VAIL, Colo. — Ken Christiansen turns over his wrist, revealing a tattoo that reads “343.” He's sitting outside the Lifthouse Condominiums in Lionshead, recounting Sept. 11, 2001.

“It was total devastation,” the New York City firefighter recalled.

Christiansen considers himself blessed to have survived the terrorist attack. Many of his colleagues did not; 343 firefighters gave their lives on Sept. 11.

The number “343” also appears on a piece of steel that is temporarily on display in Vail's Lionshead while en route to Aspen. The 700-pound piece of steel once belonged to the north World Trade Tower, the first tower hit.

Leafing through photos of rubble and people jumping from the towers, fellow New York City firefighter Warren Forsyth said he will never forget Sept. 11.

Forsyth, Christiansen and the other firefighters on the trip, Gary Rishell and John Graziano, spent six months digging through the rubble trying to find victims. They will always remember Sept. 11, and they hope the sculpture they are bringing to Aspen will help the country remember, as well.

Several months after the terrorist attacks, Aspen hosted various firefighters for ski vacations. The New York City firefighters struck up a friendship with their Aspen counterparts, and in recent months, they arranged to deliver a piece of the World Trade Towers to town.

The visiting firefighters all responded to the terrorist attacks. Vivid memories remain from the experience.

“A lot of people have a tendency to forget 9/11,” Forsyth said. “I lost 22 friends that day.”

The New York City firefighters obtained permission to take a piece of steel from Randall's Island, one of many locations where the city is storing rubble from the attacks. They brought the former I-beam to a New Jersey welder, who cut a likeness of the Trade Towers into the steel. The design features solid steel stripes where the planes hit each tower.

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Aspen’s generosity inspires NYC firefighters to bring a piece of the World Trade Center here, solidifying a lasting relationship and a permanent display of gratitude

The American ideals of freedom, bravery and sacrifice have been etched permanently in one simple piece of steel taken from the north tower of the World Trade Center and placed in front of the downtown Aspen fire barn.

The unveiling of the sculpture will occur today during the Aspen Fire Protection District’s Fourth of July block party and official dedication to the new facility, the timing of which is a symbolic nod to Independence Day and the 343 firefighters who perished on 9-11.

The over 6-foot-tall steel piece, which still has the tower’s concrete on it, was driven here by six New York City firefighters last week as a thank you to the community for making their post 9-11 trauma more manageable.

In the weeks following the tragedies of 9-11, Aspen Fire, the Aspen Alps, the Aspen Skiing Co., City Market, local restaurants and businesses throughout the community came together and provided four New York firefighters with a skiing vacation here completely free of charge, as a gesture of rehabilitation.

Ken Christiansen (aka Whitey), Steve Fenley (Doc), Gary Rishell and Andy Olson visited Aspen in February 2002. Their friendship with the Aspen community has continued to the present day.

“We all had severe problems with depression and things were adding up,” said Christiansen, adding his wife suggested that he take a vacation after watching the Twin Towers fall. Christiansen’s brother had been married in Aspen and suggested he come here for a respite in a resort community that puts an emphasis on feeding the mind, body and spirit.

Christiansen said he Googled Aspen and read a classified ad in the local newspaper that sought volunteer firefighters. He contacted fire chief Darryl Grob for some insight on the resort, like where to stay and other details. Grob responded by arranging an all-expenses paid, week-long stay here.

“It immediately became apparent that there were a lot of people under extreme distress,” Grob said. “These are a great group of guys and this is an extraordinary token to the community.”

Rishell said he couldn’t believe that a community thousands of miles away would make such a gesture.

“We were speechless and thought it was pretty awesome since we had never been past Killington, Vermont,” Rishell said, adding flying into Aspen over the Rocky Mountains is an experience he’ll never forget.

Christiansen said he was only seeking insight from a local Aspenite and never dreamed Grob would have done what he did.

“It was a good shock,” Christiansen said of the thoughtful, generous gesture.

While the gesture will always be remembered, the actual vacation might have a few blurry spots for the firefighters. 

“It was a good time, we left here dazed and confused,” Christiansen joked. “Since then, we’ve been here every year.”
A vision becomes reality

Christiansen came to Aspen with his wife during a fall foliage ride when the fire barn was under construction. As he waited for his wife, who was shopping inside the thrift shop, Christiansen looked at the front of the unfinished building and the planned museum, then saw a vision.

 Dustin Franz/Aspen Daily News

A piece of steel from the World Trade Center sits outside the downton fire barn and was donated by a group of firefighters from New York City.

“I thought it would be nice to get a piece of World Trade Center steel and we chose the city of Aspen because they’ve been so good to us,” Christiansen said. “Since 2002, our lives have changed because of the people we’ve met in Colorado.”

It’s rare to still be able to acquire a piece of steel from the toppled Twin Towers but Christiansen and his comrades were able to convince the New York Fire Commissioner to release one.

Through a group effort, the now retired firefighters had the steel cut to read on the top “FDNY” “911-01,” and on the bottom, “343” to reflect the number of men and women who died in the line of duty that day.

Lines that shape the towers were cut into the steel and are separated at the very places where the planes hit. The base is shaped as a Maltese cross — the firefighter’s badge of honor, signifying that he works in courage — a ladder rung away from death.

“We wanted to do it right,” Christiansen said. “We spent time on it and we made it so it would stay here forever.

“It’s kind of in its natural state.”

During an emotional yet low-key moment with a few onlookers taking pictures, the sculpture was erected by Aspen and New York firefighters in front of the fire barn Friday afternoon.

“It’s a very intense moment that will be around for a long time,” Grob said, adding he was “awe struck” when he learned what Christiansen had arranged. “It’s a very emotional experience for me personally.”

Curious passersby stopped to watch the work being done Friday, wondering out loud what the connection was between New York and Aspen.

Once they learned, they were impressed.

“That’s really cool,” said Aspen resident Frank Lawrence, who noted that he and his wife, Pam, are close friends with a family in New York who lost a firefighter on 9-11. “It’s tremendous ... it will be there forever.”

Rishell and Christiansen are joined this holiday weekend in Aspen with fellow New York firefighters Warren Forsythe, John Graziano (Big Dog), Paul Giedel and Eddie Bergen, who also traveled here to be part of the special tribute.

They drove across the country last week and arrived Friday afternoon. They immediately went to work putting their piece of gratitude in its final resting place, located at the entrance to the fire barn’s museum.

“I’ve been here two hours and all I’ve done is work ... I thought this was a fun town,” Graziano laughed.

The group of firefighters, all from Stanton Island, and whose families are celebrating Fourth of July with them here, also are Harley Davidson riders. They said they plan to celebrate Aspen style and join the hundreds of other Harley riders in the parade today.

Kidding aside, Graziano said the trip means a lot to him. He admired the steel sculpture and then recalled the images etched in his mind of the hundreds of pieces twisted and mangled at the Twin Towers site.

“We saw beams like that — 30, 40 feet long just twisted like pieces of paper,” he said. “It affected us all big time.”

Graziano said he lost seven firefighters in his ladder company and only one was recovered.

“Out of the 343, I probably knew 100 of them,” he said.

 Christiansen said he has a deep-seated love for the Aspen community and is thankful for its generosity.

“The town of Aspen has been great,” he said. “It’s truly a blessing to be here.”

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