Some of us are old enough to remember exactly where we were and how we felt when we watched in horror as the planes hit the twin towers on September 11th, 2001. Our country was under attack and there were so many unknowns in that moment. Now imagine it being your job to run toward the danger instead of fleeing from it. For a group of black first responders on 9/11, that’s exactly what they did, among other heroes.

The New York City Fire Department has within its ranks an organization created by black firefighters. The Vulcan Society was founded in 1940 to advocate for black fire fighters and fight discrimination within the department.

On 9/11, twelve members of the Vulcan Society lost their lives while fighting to protect those in harm’s way.

Gerard Baptiste was 35 years old and a National Guard reservist.

Tarel Coleman was described as energetic, earning him the nickname “prozac”. He was a father of two.

Keith A. Glascoe worked at Ladder 21. He was a former college football player who had a tryout with the New York Jets, but ultimately played overseas in Italy. He also had some acting credits, including a role as one of the Stansfield Men in The Professional.

William L. Henry Jr. was a 20-year veteran. He was described as an excellent handy man. Everyone called him “Buddy”.

Keithroy Maynard was a leader in the Vulcan Society and passionate about diversity in the FDNY. He was also a dedicated father.

Vernon Allan Richard was the first Black firefighter promoted to Lieutenant from his eligibility list. The department honored him by posthumously promoting him to captain after his death.

Leon W. Smith Jr. enjoyed building miniature cars in his spare time. He was dedicated to the FDNY and his duties despite being the victim of racism early in his career.

Shawn E. Powell was described as having a love for life with various interests. He was also and Army reservist. He worked at Engine Company 207.

Karl H. Joseph was a probationary firefighter. His peers described him as “having the right stuff”.

Ronnie L. Henderson was a father of four and a Marine veteran. He was with Engine 279.

Andre G. Fletcher was a firefighter with Rescue 5. He was off-duty that day but decided to go help due to a shortage of manpower. He was posthumously promoted to Fire Marshal.

Vernon Paul Cherry was 49 years old and planning to retire at the end of the year. He was known for being instrumental in helping to bridge the racial barriers within the department. He was a talented vocalist and served the department for 29 years.

Aside from the firefighters, there were also other black heroes that stepped up.

Jason Thomas had recently left active duty as a Marine in August. That day, he was dropping his daughter off at his mother’s home when he found out about the attack. He didn’t hesitate. He changed into his camouflage uniform and made his way into the city. He, along with another serviceman, climbed the debris with nothing but an infantryman’s shovel and were able to rescue two Port Authority police officers. He also returned to Ground Zero everyday for two and half weeks to help.

Thomas told the Associated Press:

“Someone needed help. It didn’t matter who,” he said. “I didn’t even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, ‘My city is in need.’”

LeRoy Homer, Jr. was a pilot on Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. After the four al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked his plane, he, along with others fought to take back the plane. The struggle ultimately resulted in the plane crashing in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, potentially saving hundreds, if not thousands of lives.