Remembering 9/11: A Family’s Tribute
As the United States observes the somber anniversary of September 11, 2001, families are still coping with the losses they endured that day. For many, it’s a time of reflection and remembrance.
One family in Brooklyn is choosing to honor the memory of their son and brother, Jimmy Quinn, who tragically lost his life at the North Tower when he was just 23. They plan to celebrate his legacy by attending a New York Mets game against the Texas Rangers on September 12.
“Jimmie lived more in his 23 years than most people do in a lifetime,” Joe Quinn, Jimmy’s brother and a US Army veteran, shared.
On that fateful day in 2001, America faced its deadliest terrorist attack, which would change the nation’s course forever.
Reflecting on the day, Joe mentioned the difficulty in moving on. “It’s not even 24 years, yet living with this energy is tough,” he said.
Jimmy, who graduated from Manhattan University the year before his death, had recently passed the Series 7 exam, with his life seemingly just beginning. “He described his job as being at the ‘top of the world.’ That’s how he felt about his promising future,” Joe recalled.
At that time, Joe was a senior at the US Military Academy at West Point. He recounted how everything felt off that morning: “Cadets were whispering when they usually weren’t,” he noted. His roommate’s urgent call about the fires in the Twin Towers marked the start of a nightmare.
Joe vividly remembers the moment when the first tower fell, feeling his heart drop. “I was so focused on school; I didn’t even know which tower Jimmy was in until the North Tower fell. That was the hardest part,” he said.
The image of the plane hitting the World Trade Center stayed with him: it seemed like a “small hole compared to the size of the tower.”
In the aftermath of the attacks, which claimed around 3,000 lives, Joe’s father, a retired NYPD officer, struggled to cope, transforming their dining room into something reminiscent of a police precinct. “Day by day, the fear just grew, and like many families, we never found his body,” he expressed.
Even now, there’s a small part of Joe’s mind that holds onto hope—perhaps it’s irrational, he thinks, but “there’s this tiny sliver of hope because there’s no evidence,” he remarked. “He disappeared from our lives.”
Joe graduated from West Point in 2002 and went on to serve in Iraq in 2003. He was offered the option to take a break from active duty due to his family’s situation but felt he needed to persevere. “I wouldn’t do that. I had my own struggles, but the path was clear,” he said.
He firmly believes that serving is his calling, a way to remember his brother. “I lost my brother, and my wife lost him in a different way while I served,” he mentioned. “There are thousands of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives since 9/11, and they left behind families who grieve just like us.”
Today, Joe is the managing director at Drexel Hamilton, an investment bank dedicated to employing veterans. “We may be doing typical finance work, but our mission is meaningful. We focus on hiring veterans,” he explained.
Additionally, he’s part of the Museum’s Foresightful Network Leadership Council at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. “This place has been crucial for my healing and my family’s as well. It’s where we pay our respects to Jimmy,” Joe concluded.
