Feld's honored with piece of World Trade Center steel

Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Shadowbox at Feld's Carpet One holds a piece of World Trade Center steel. (Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN)

A Greencastle business's commitment to a program building homes for American heroes wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan garnered a special honor on Tuesday.

For its support of the Building for America's Bravest (BFAB) program, Feld's Carpet One was visited by retired Fire Department of New York firefighter Roger Kilfoil and presented with a piece of 9/11 World Trade Center Steel.

Kilfoil, who was at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, made the presentation of behalf of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which conducts the BFAB program.

In honor of the commitment Feld's Carpet One has shown to the Building for America's Bravest Program, retired FDNY firefighter Roger Kilfoil (right) presents a piece of 9/11 World Trade Center steel to Feld's general manager Mike Poor. (Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN)

"It is a privilege for me to travel the country and find conscientious people who realize the sacrifices our young men and women make and that our freedom is not free," Kilfoil said.

Receiving the small piece of steel in an ornamental shadowbox, Feld's general manager Mike Poor said he felt honored.

"It's very humbling just to hold that," Poor said.

The BFAB program was started by the Siller Foundation to build high-tech "smart homes" for service members returning from war with catastrophic injuries.

The need is great for these young people, Kilfoil said, saying that of the 52,000 service members who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since the 2001 attacks, 16,000 were seriously wounded.

The high-tech homes make it possible for veterans who are perhaps multiple amputees or paralyzed to control their homes through electronic devices. Coming at a much higher cost than a normal home, such access is made possible through the BFAB program.

Feld's Carpet One is involved in the program as part of the Carpet One floor covering co-op. Carpet One Floor and Home and its manufacturing partner, Mohawk, have committed to providing flooring materials and installation for 46 of these "smart homes."

As part of that commitment, Poor presented Kilfoil with a check further supporting the BFAB program. It's an ongoing commitment for Carpet One, Mohawk and even their customers.

"We're simply asking your customers if they will make a $10 donation," Kilfoil said.

With these small donations, even a 10 percent participation rate from Carpet One customers nationwide would raise and estimated $800,000. Jump to 50 percent participation and $4 million would be raised.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is named in honor of fallen FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller. Off duty on that Tuesday, Siller heard about the attacks on the police scanner and headed back into the city. He grabbed his gear from his station in Brooklyn and made his way to Manhattan.

Finding the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel closed, he donned 60 pounds of gear and rushed through the gridlocked traffic on foot to the towers, where he later lost his life.

The signature event of the foundation is a run through the tunnel to Ground Zero.

Now retired, Kilfoil was also off the day of the attacks. However, he ended up working tirelessly, like so many others, and not returning home for three days. Upon returning home, he learned that his cousin, NYPD Officer Moira Smith, was among the missing.

Smith was the only female NYPD officer to die at the World Trade Center.

He said that working with the Siller Foundation, as well as work at the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum, help him deal with life after the attacks.

"I keep my sanity by giving back to veterans organizations," Kilfoil said.

Although he has since led tours of Ground Zero, returning was not easy.

"It was hard for me to even return to Ground Zero and I didn't for 10 years," he said. "(Leading tours) became therapeutic for me to take care of some of my anger."

Kilfoil also said that the BFAB program and learning the stories of the seriously wounded soldiers has a way of lending some perspective to life.

"We all have problems, but if you see a man that's a triple amputee with such enthusiasm and a positive attitude, what problems do you have that measure up?" Kilfoil asked.

So he continues to support programs such as BFAB, as he encourages anyone to do.

"I think it's my job and your job to help America never forget that we're still at war. I take it personally what happened on 9/11," Kilfoil said. "It motivates me and gives me confidence and pride in being an American, being part of this program."

For more information on the Carpet One program, visit www.carpetone.com/ourbravest or call Feld's Carpet One at 276-4642.

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  • Thanks for giving back to those who help protect and serve! I will come give a donation right after the new year!

    -- Posted by chicki1112 on Wed, Dec 16, 2015, at 2:37 PM
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