On 9/11, Sons Thank Dad For His Love: 'I Think About Him Every Day'

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Sunday marks 21 years since 9/11 — 21 years since Andrew Jordan has come home to his family, walked through the door of their Remsenburg home with a big smile, eager to envelop his three children and wife Lisa, pregnant with their fourth baby, in a hug.

21 years since his youngest son Sean was born — 15 days after 9/11 — the baby boy he never met.

Andrew Jordan, Sr., a member of FDNY Engine 280, Ladder 132 died a hero on 9/11.

And now, 21 years later, two of Andrew Jordan's sons, Andrew and Sean — he also left behind his son Matthew and daughter Kelsey — speak to the enduring legacy that keeps their father alive in their hearts forever.

Despite the dull ache of eternal loss, life has gone on, the children grown now into young adults who've set out to achieve all of their father's dreams for them.

Sean, who is turning 21, is now a double major in marketing and international business at Iona University, where he is also a captain of the rowing team.

Being a 9/11 baby, one of those born to mothers who were pregnant on that dark day when the world stopped — a baby who never got to know the warmth of his father's hug — has given Sean unique insight and maturity.

"It feels like everyone got a head start and I’m still catching up," he said. "It's like i’m still learning things that I should’ve learned 10 years ago if I had a dad."

Losing his father on 9/11 was life-altering, Sean said. "It changed my course before I was even born. Every day I am finding our more and more of how it shaped my life."

His family, he said, has done a great job of keeping his father's spirit alive. "Every day, I feel it, whether it be from pictures, things that remind them of him, stories of him when he was in the firehouse, and or just talking about him — they keep the spirit alive."

Being born in the wake of 9/11 has brought a heightened sense of responsibility, Sean said.

"There is definitely a underlying pressure, or expectation, that can’t be described. With always being told how your dad is a hero, it sets a bar that society puts on you."

Sean and his family have long spoken out about the fact that many seem to be losing sight of the profound impact of 9/11 — and the need for educators to continue to teach new generations, many of whom weren't even born yet, about the day when so much was lost.

Sean added: "With 9/11, it isn’t something you can say or teach, it’s something you feel. Something comes over you and touches you in a way you can’t describe and when you feel it, you feel its magnitude. One message I would share is that it isn’t a joke. So many times I see people in my generation making jokes about it. They don't have the same grasp of the magnitude and grief of the event — and that it should never be taken as a joke.""

Sean said he gives his all in everything he does. He hopes to one day take a civil service job and give back, as his father did. "I know that no matter what I do, every day I am making him proud," he said.

Sean also wanted to thank his mother Lisa, who has been steadfast in her dedication to her four children, imbuing them with all the love she and Andrew shared for their family.

"Every day, I am just amazed at what she has done and what she does. She is the strongest and greatest human I have ever met, and I am so proud every day to call her my mom."

And, Sean said, if he had the chance to look into his father's eyes: "I wouldn’t say anything. I would just would hug him," he said. "I can’t wait to meet him someday."

Andrew Jordan's oldest son Andrew was in fourth grade on 9/11, old enough to have stored a treasure chest of memories he holds tightly in his heart. If he could talk to his father today, he has so much he'd like to tell him, to share with him how his life has blossomed.

"I would like to let my dad know that I am happily engaged and I graduated law school," he said. "I would not have been able to get to this point without his love and his strength."

As always on Sunday, Andrew and his family will go to their father's firehouse to spend the day sharing memories and a bond that can only be shared by those who have endured, together, the unthinkable.

"I think about him every day, and I think about how great of a role model he is to me and so many other people," Andrew said. "I think about his courage and the selflessness he showed toward everyone, whether it was as a 9/11 first responder, or toward my family and our community."