American flag hanging from building

9/11 Flag from FDNY Engine 6 Pumper

September 10, 2013 to December 31, 2013
Museum Lobby

On September 11, 2001, six firefighters from the FDNY Engine 6 Company were dispatched to the World Trade Center where they hooked the Engine 6 Pumper into a Trade Center standpipe on West Street. Four men from the Company—
Lieutenant Thomas O’Hagan, Firefighter Paul Beyer, Firefighter William Johnston, and Firefighter Thomas Holohan—were killed in the tower's collapse. Firefighters Billy Green and Jack Butler survived.

This American flag was draped over the crushed remains of the Engine Company 6 pumper as it was removed from Ground Zero. The flag's origins, as well as the identity of the individual who placed it over the rig, are unknown. The flag was later retrieved and given to the Engine 6 house, where it hung in honor of the four men killed on September 11, 2001.

For the first time this iconic flag is on display in the Museum along with the FDNY Engine 6 pumper, an artifact central to the State Museum's 9/11 collection. These objects from the World Trade Center site speak to the loss, heroism and global impact that the exhibition evokes for visitors.