07/14/2025
Steve Buscemi: Still One of the Bravest
🧑🚒🇺🇸🕊
On September 12, 2001—just one day after the World Trade Center attacks—actor Steve Buscemi quietly returned to the firehouse where he once served: FDNY Engine 55 in Manhattan’s Little Italy. No cameras. No press. Just a man among his brothers, working 12-hour shifts in the rubble of Ground Zero, digging through devastation in hopes of finding survivors. He never asked for credit—and for years, few even knew.
Buscemi became a firefighter in 1980 at age 22. At Engine 55, he faced the front lines of fire, chaos, and tragedy. It wasn’t just a job—it was a calling. He learned courage, compassion, and sacrifice. He found brotherhood. And even when he began chasing his dreams in acting, he kept answering the call of duty, juggling auditions by day and firefighting by night.
In 1984, he left the department to pursue acting full-time. But the firefighter in him never left. When the towers fell on 9/11, he returned—not as a celebrity, but as a brother ready to help. No headlines. No red carpets. Just a helmet, gloves, and a heart still loyal to the job.
Since then, Buscemi has used his voice to support the FDNY and first responders. He’s worked with Friends of Firefighters, championed mental health and wellness, and shed light on the lasting scars—emotional and physical—of 9/11. His 2014 HBO documentary, A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY, is a powerful, unfiltered tribute to the people who run into danger when others run away.
His real-life firefighting experience has shaped the roles he plays—men who are often tough but vulnerable, courageous yet deeply human. That authenticity is rooted in years spent saving lives, not pretending to.
Steve Buscemi never sought the spotlight for his service. Instead, he used it to honor those who never made it home.
Because real heroes don’t brag.
They show up, they step in, and they stand with their brothers—no matter what.
We honor you, Steve. And we remember every soul lost that day.
🕊️🙏 To all who served on 9/11 and beyond—thank you.
