Bob Beckwith, a retired firefighter whose chance encounter with the president amid the rubble of Ground Zero became part of an iconic image of American unity after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has died. He was 91. Beckwith died Sunday in hospice care after battling cancer, his wife, Barbara Beckwith, said. Wearing his old firefighter helmet from Ladder Company 164 in Queens, the Long Island resident stood with President George W. Bush as he delivered a rousing speech to weary responders three days after hijackers crashed airplanes into the twin towers of the old World Trade Center, killing 2,753 people, the AP reports
"He was at the right place, at the right time, and that's why he's famous," Barbara Beckwith said Monday. "But he was a regular guy. Well-liked and quiet." Beckwith was 69 and retired for seven years following a 30-year career when he rushed to help search-and-rescue efforts as scores of current and former first responders did after the attacks. Beckwith said he was simply looking for a good vantage point to see the president as he surveyed the destruction. But Bush hopped aboard the crushed Engine Company 76 truck where he was standing, Beckwith recalled.
Barbara Beckwith said her husband helped Bush up and was about to let himself down. "The president said to him, 'Where are you going?'" she recounted. "'You're going to be right here with me.'" Bush addressed rescuers and others through a bullhorn, his arm draped around Beckwith at one point. The moment landed Beckwith on the cover of Time, a keepsake he displayed at home. Bush, who remained in contact with the family, called to express condolences, his wife said. "When the terrorists attacked, Bob suited back up and, like so many brave first responders, raced toward the danger to save and search for others," Bush wrote Monday. "I was proud to have Bob by my side at Ground Zero."
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