A 9/11 Reunion—25 Years in the Making

On what turned into a tragic day of heartbreak—Sept. 11, 2001—when America suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history with thousands losing their lives, there were also tales of hope and survival, strangers helping strangers, and ordinary citizens and first responders doing extraordinary things in life-or-death moments. 

Twenty-five years later, the new docuseries “9/11: Reunited” is bringing together some of the survivors, first responders, and witnesses to reunite with the strangers and everyday heroes who changed, and in many cases saved, their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Many of these emotional reunions are taking place for the first time in 25 years.

“Some people don’t feel ready; some people would rather just not go there again, but some people, obviously the people that participated, felt there were people they wanted to meet,” the docuseries’ director and executive producer Julian Jones told The Epoch Times.

“There was gratitude they wanted to express. There were unanswered questions. In some cases, a sense of guilt about the way things panned out that they wanted to talk about, things to get off their chest.” 

In its three episodes, “9/11: Reunited,” premiering on Aug. 21 on National Geographic and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, interweaves present-day encounters with a gripping, human-centered retelling of the Sept. 11 attacks, honoring the resilience, memory, and lasting impact of those who lived through it.  

“There’s so many kinds of individual stories playing out in this incredibly short period of time—102 minutes,” emphasized Jones.

That is the timeline of major impacts and collapses which began with the first plane strike at 8:46 a.m. and concluded with the final tower collapse at 10:28 a.m.

Jones is an award-winning director and producer at 72 Films, whose credits include the Emmy-winning “9/11: One Day in America,” “Rise of the Nazis,” “Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius,” and “Queen Elizabeth’s Secret Agents.” 

Cmdr. Craig Powell was serving as a Navy SEAL when he responded to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

After a human pyramid used to help survivors escape collapsed, he joined rescue efforts outside the building amid the devastation.

One of those survivors was Lt. Col. Marilyn Wills, who had led several colleagues to safety before being forced to jump from a second-floor window.

Powell caught her as she fell and helped ensure she received medical treatment. More than 20 years later, Powell reunited with Wills for the first time. 

“Marilyn’s story and Craig’s story were particularly fascinating,” said Jones. “Emotionally, to witness these bonds that people have with someone that they intersected with so fleetingly, and to see that in their eyes when they came face-to-face again, was something I’d never experienced.

“It was a privilege and incredibly moving to be part of that.”  

As Powell reflected in the docuseries on the events of 9/11, he described how the day changed him personally, while emphasizing that survival was a collective effort with Wills’ courage and leadership helping to save lives as well. 

He is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of “9/11: Reunited.”

“I’m honored that I got chosen to tell my story rather than somebody else getting to tell my story,” Powell told The Epoch Times.

“How do you honor an honor? In other words, I hope I’m living up to what they’re looking for, the message that’s supposed to be delivered.” 

That “message” is hard to ignore thanks to the producers’ decision to focus on the survivors’ stories.

“It’s important to get these testimonies in a really old-fashioned sense, to get these oral histories, and to have them forever,” explained Jones. 

At the time of the attack, Powell was serving in OPNAV N751, the Expeditionary Warfare and Naval Special Warfare Branch.

On the morning of the attack, he was at work at the Pentagon. He didn’t hesitate in rushing to the scene of the plane’s crash.

He said the country’s response to the attacks amazed him.

“You’re going to get punched, and everybody thinks that’s the big deal,” said Powell. “It’s not the punch, it’s how you take the punch and how you return from that punch.

“The way it’s been explained to me—the plane hit the building, and we were literally at a state of recovery at 23 minutes, and when I left the Pentagon that afternoon and looked back over my shoulder, and there’s an American Flag and a snake of emergency vehicles, two or three across, all the way down the [George Washington Memorial] Parkway.

“That response is really what says America’s great. We took a punch, and we were able to turn around and respond close enough to immediately. That was super impressive. I always say even today, ‘The right people will do the right thing.’”

Twenty-five years later, the chance to be reunited with Wills “was incredibly rewarding,” Powell said.

“On Sept. 11, that actual day, as far as I knew, Marilyn died. After I caught her, I handed her off [and she was] being given CPR. I thought she was a goner, but then I find out later she’s alive.

“Then I got to meet her. I got to know her. She’s a part of my life, and I appreciate it. Now she’s a grandmother, and she gets to be with her kids. I’m so happy that I was able to be part of that. That’s what’s important. It makes me feel good.”

Wills led a group of her co-workers, carrying someone on her back out of a fiery, smoke-filled conference room to eventual safety.

“She saved all those people, literally at the cost of her life, or at least in my eyes originally,” Powell said.  

Wills spent nine days in the hospital being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

She later received a Soldier’s Medal for her bravery and a Purple Heart for her wounds.

Powell was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions on the day of the attack. 

It’s exactly those tales of human connection and courage from 9/11 that Jones and his team were seeking to highlight in “9/11: Reunited.”

“There are so many incredible stories of selflessness and heroism from that day,” Jones said. “And it feels like a privilege to tell them, frankly. I’m happy that we got the opportunity to tell more stories this time.

“I hope there’s some kind of hopeful, universal human theme that emerges from it—there is an instinct to help each other; people can instinctively show up for each other in moments of tragedy, terrorism, and so on. There is a powerful message there.”