Heroism comes in various forms. For one bar in Manhattan, it’s displayed through patches instead of capes. O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub, just a block south of the World Trade Center, boasts an impressive collection of over 7,000 patches from police, firefighting, emergency medical services, and military personnel from across the U.S. and beyond.
“Even from Guam,” co-owner Mike Keane mentioned. “People from all over come here. They see the patches, and they want to add theirs to the wall alongside their comrades.”
Before September 11th, O’Hara’s was a popular local hangout, much like “Cheers,” catering to Wall Street professionals, first responders, and trades workers. However, post-9/11, the bar took on a new significance. Keane still recalls it being buried in dust and debris, leading him to think it might not survive the aftermath. When it reopened in April 2002, it became a refuge for those working at Ground Zero, a place to exchange painful stories about fallen friends.
“You’d talk to someone, and they’d mention, ‘Remember Jeff? He used to stop by? He didn’t make it,’” Keane, now 63, shared.
The tradition of honoring first responders began on the one-year anniversary of the attacks. A construction worker took a patch from an FDNY uniform and stapled it to the bar’s surface, marking the start of something significant. “By the end of the day, there were about 20 patches up there. And well, you see how it’s evolved,” he chuckled, noting the overwhelming display today.
Tim Brown, an FDNY veteran and 9/11 survivor, became a regular at O’Hara’s after the 9/11 Memorial & Museum opened in 2014. “I lost almost 100 friends, so I find solace in visiting their names [at the memorial] four or five times a week. This place? It feels like home,” he said. “It serves as a different kind of museum for 9/11.”
Brown has shown the bar to various individuals, from Navy SEALs to members of the Afghan military’s Female Tactical Platoon, inviting them to pay their respects.
Amanda Lynch is one of those touched by the bar’s tribute. She lost her uncle, Michael Boyle, in the attacks and her grandfather, James Boyle, spent months searching for his son, ultimately succumbing to 9/11-related cancer. “I spent a long time seeking answers… so on a trip to New York in 2019, I visited O’Hara’s,” she recounted, where she met Brown.
Her bond with Brown deepened, leading her to pursue a career as a paramedic. A couple of years ago, she stapled her Philadelphia Fire Department and Pennsylvania state paramedic patches to O’Hara’s wall. “I like to think my grandfather and uncle are enjoying a drink under those patches too,” she reflected. This year is particularly special as her husband, a fire captain, will place his own patch there alongside their son witnessing the moment.
Jake LaFerriere from Minneapolis, a second-generation firefighter, felt overwhelmed when he stepped into O’Hara’s. “The atmosphere there is filled with brotherhood, respect, and tradition,” he expressed. He has affixed both his Minneapolis Fire Department and Police Department patches to the bar’s storied walls.
Keane ensures that both the living and those who have passed are remembered. He even accommodates patches sent by families unable to visit in person. “I was just speaking with someone from Rhode Island who wanted to send a patch for a friend who had died. I told him to mail it to us, and I’d put it up for him,” Keane explained.
In some instances, the honor extends to non-first responders too. Welles Crowther was a young equities trader who bravely saved numerous lives on 9/11 while wearing a red bandana — a gift from his father. Sadly, he died when the tower fell, but his heroic acts were later revealed by survivors who remembered the “Man in the Red Bandana.”
A red bandana hangs in O’Hara’s to commemorate him, and his mother, Alison Crowther, expressed her gratitude for the tribute. “I was overwhelmed when I first saw it. They acknowledge all the first responders, but I never thought they would recognize Welles as well,” she shared. She frequently visits the bar, appreciating the honoring of those lost and the stories shared there.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks, and Welles will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously, among many remembrances. Keane plans to open O’Hara’s at 8:30 a.m. on September 11th, keeping it open late for anyone wanting to raise a glass in memory of someone. “People feel a need to be here, to show their respect for all the first responders. They don’t always get that everywhere,” he said.
And should the wall run out of space for patches? “We’ll just put up new walls,” he stated confidently.
