First Responders Call for Reopening 9/11 Investigation
On this, the 18th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, 9/11 first responder Christopher Gioia, a commissioner of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District in New York, has announced the launch of the “Justice for 9/11 Heroes” campaign. He did so at a news conference at the National Press Club.
In July, Gioia and the other commissioners of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District unanimously voted for a resolution calling for a new investigation into the September 11th attacks. Two of Gioia’s fellow commissioners are suffering chronic and long term heath effects from working at Ground Zero, and one of the department’s members, Thomas J. Hetzel, who was also a member of the New York Fire Department, was killed in the line of duty on that fateful day.
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The Franklin Square and Munson Fire District is now leading the effort throughout the state of New York and across the United States to bring the fire service behind their call for Congress to reopen the 9/11 investigation. The congressional inquiry they are seeking would be conducted in unison with the ongoing grand jury investigation initiated by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman. Obvious this effort will benefit every first responder — including those in law enforcement — impacted by the events on that day.
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Gioia was joined at the news conference by Bob and Helen McIlvaine, who lost their son Bobby. Bobby McIlvaine as killed at the World Trade Center. For the past two years, Mr. McIlvaine has led an effort, in his son’s name, to introduce and enact important legislation that would establish a select committee in Congress to re-investigate the World Trade Center’s devastating impact.
Also present were Richard Gage, who is founder of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and David Meiswinkle, who is president of the Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry. Mr. Meiswinkle discussed his organization’s current litigation efforts against the U.S. Department of Justice and the F.B.I. Mr. Gage outlined the recently released findings of a four-year computer modeling study of the World Trade Center Building 7’s collapse by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), which his organization funded.
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The group then made their way to Capitol Hill to meet with many members of Congress, asking them to review the UAF WTC 7 study and to introduce the Bobby McIlvaine Act. The Congressional offices they visited included those of Congresswoman Kathleen Rice, who represents the Long Island district where Franklin Square is located, and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.
