Page 12 - Tower Flag News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

That we were like those firefighters for that moment. >> we headed down along the waterfront near the marina. i looked and there were a group of firefighters carrying somebody on a stretcher. as they were walking, they were kicking up the debris. so you had these billows of white ash. as they pass me, i saw that it was another firefighter. and they carried him down toward the -- where some yachts and other boats were, and sort of down a gangway. >> this is the image here. >> yeah, yeah, that tower flag.

>> mr. reader was low key so shared the information with us and said, you know, that was an eder flag and proud it was one of our flags and completed what that picture was about. >> i see the rebuilding starting with that photograph. that was the moment on which these three firefighters speaking for all new yorkers and americans said enough is enough. we're going to fight back. i think it gave me all those emotions because it's so eerie similar. here they are three new york city firefighters, no marines, not soldiers but in a way they were like marines and soldiers because they were the first ...

>> you see the rescue boats there. >> and i went down to photograph them loading the wounded firefighter onto one of the boats, and he survived, thankfully. and he contacted me later asking if i could share some of my photographs so that he could try to piece together what happened to him that day, because he didn't remember. >> on my walk, i kept asking people for film. so i went around and then i was at the sailing club where all the boats are docked. that's when i saw this guy who was apparently freelancing for "the new york times." he gave me a roll of film and he turned and and we saw the...

The same way. >> for the photographer who took the picture, tom franklin who is sort of a bittersweet thing, he became famous for taking this image for capturing a moment, and yet, it wasn't his. it was the burgen county record that had the copyright. it was appropriated for all these different uses by all these different people. >> i received more attention than i ever dreamed, and it's been overwhelming, and we've had thousands of phone calls at the office for people wanting to buy pictures and publications and billboards and people want to make tapestries. it makes me feel uncomfortable. i ...

He was one of my drivers. he's the guy that told me there was going to be a disaster with the statute. he was the one that told me. i didn't get it. so listen, part of the story they are working on the flag rising right from those three guys put the flag up and everything. the guy is saying to me that he has heard and has no idea or the accuracy of it that you asked for the flag, is that the -- >> correct. >> that's correct? tell that story again. >> you came to me, the commissioner came to me and said i want to get that flag down there. we looked at each other and said that will be a problem ...