USA Today Network looks at the current lives of other individuals captured in seminal photos from that time.
Andrew Card
In this September 11, 2001 file photo, President Bush’s Chief of Staff Andy Card whispers into the ear of the President to give him word of the plane crashes into the World Trade Center, during a visit to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla. Photo: Doug Mills, AP
THEN: White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispers in President George W. Bush’s ear that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York City. Bush was visiting Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., the morning of the attacks.
NOW: Card held his chief of staff position for six years. In 2011, he was elected dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Today he serves as president of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H.
Bob Beckwith
President Bush stands with firefighter Bob Beckwith in front of the World Trade Center during a tour of the devastation, Friday, September 14, 2001. Photo: Doug Mills, AP
THEN: Bob Beckwith, a retired New York City Fire Department firefighter, was helping out with rescue efforts when President George W. Bush visited Ground Zero in New York on September 14, 2001. Beckwith tested the remnants of a burned firetruck to make sure it was safe for the president to stand on. When the president climbed up to address the public, he asked Beckwith to stay and stand with him.
NOW: Beckwith lives on Long Island and actively volunteers with the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation. The helmet he wore in the photograph is on display at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
Rudolph Giuliani
THEN: Then-mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giuliani wore a face mask on September 12, 2001, while touring the wreckage.
New York Mayor Giuliani wears a dust mask after a tour of the damage on September 12, 2001. Photo: Stan Honda, AFP
NOW: While no longer in office, Giuliani is still in the public eye, commenting in the media about political issues. The former mayor is a partner at the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani and also serves as CEO of Giuliani Partners, a consulting firm.
Edward Fine
Edward Fine walks through the debris after the collapse of one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York. (Photo: Stan Honda, AFP)
THEN: Businessman Edward Fine worked at Intercapital Planning Corp. when the attacks happened on September 11, 2001. A photo of him wearing a suit and walking through debris while covering his face became an iconic image of the aftermath. The photo appeared on the cover of Fortune magazine days later.
NOW: Fine continues to work in finance, according to interviews from 2011. On what appears to be Fine’s Twitter account, he describes himself as a “Business Consultant, $UNIS supporter, family man. Fortune Mag cover, 9/11 survivor.”
Daniel McWilliams, George Johnson and William “Billy” Eisengrein
Firefighters raise a flag at the World Trade Center in New York. Photo: Thomas E. Franklin, Associated Press
THEN: Firefighters Daniel McWilliams, George Johnson and William “Billy” Eisengrein were unknowingly photographed raising an American flag at Ground Zero following the attacks. The image has been compared to a previous iconic photo of six U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.
NOW: Daniel McWilliams and George Johnson are still active firefighters. William “Billy” Eisengrein is now retired. The original flag in the photo went missing shortly after the image was taken and its whereabouts remain unknown. The mystery was explored in CNN’s 2013 film The Flag.
