Cornelius firefighters remember victims, friends killed in 9/11 terror attacks

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Firefighters met in Cornelius on Tuesday morning to mark the moments when New York City's Twin Towers were hit during a terror attack 17 years ago.

[9 Investigates: 17 years later, first responders remain impacted by effects of 9/11]

Several firefighters who lived as heroes on that horrific day shared their stories with Channel 9.

"It was something that will stick in my mind forever," said former NYC firefighter Tim Butler.

As a bell outside the Cornelius fire station marked the moment the second tower was hit at 9:03 a.m., Butler remembered how it felt on the ground when that tower collapsed.

"Everything to me from that day is still black and white because there was just so much dust," he described.

Butler now lives in the Lake Norman area.

His friend Ray Moss moved here too.

He was another one of the heroes who searched the rubble for survivors.

"Shoes were everywhere you could see people who were actually running out of their shoes," said Moss.

[Photos: Remembering 9/11 17 years later]

[9/11 remembrance ceremonies honor victims on 17th anniversary of attacks]

The horror of the terror attacks hasn't faded with time. The men knew more than 100 firefighters who died on 9/11. They still carry pictures of some of the ones who didn't make it home.

"It was hard between picking funerals to go to and working. There were days when two friends had funerals the same day. It was just tough," recalled Moss.

Now, they want to make sure those sacrifices are never forgotten.

Remember the words, 'Never forget.' The people we lost that day. Since that day thousands more have passed away from cancer. We've lost three times as many people to cancer," Moss said.

[Former NYPD officer to be laid to rest in Fort Mill after dying from 9/11-linked illness]

Seniors in high school were just one year old when the towers fell. Firefighters say that's why events like the one on Tuesday are so important, because they help make sure we all remember what happened 17 years ago.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the terror attacks. More than 400 of them were emergency workers who were responding to the World Trade Center.

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