The Salvation Army responders share firsthand stories of compassion and service from ground zero and the Pentagon

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sept. 11, 2026, marks 25 years since tragedy struck the nation, leaving first responders, survivors, and communities to carry an unimaginable weight.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/the-salvation-army/9415051-en-salvation-army-marks-25-years-since-9-11-stories-service

The Salvation Army was among the first relief organizations at ground zero, arriving within 30 minutes and continuing to serve there for nine months. The Salvation Army officers, staff, and volunteers served first responders through physical assistance and spiritual and emotional care. Through the fall of 2006, the World Trade Center Recovery Program also provided case management to people who had lost family members, homes, and jobs.

The need across ground zero, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, was overwhelming. Alongside other relief organizations and community partners, The Salvation Army helped meet that need, with more than 55,000 volunteers serving over 3 million meals to relief workers and survivors. More than 110,000 people received mental health, emotional and spiritual care, financial assistance, and other social services.

The Stories Behind the Response

Twenty-five years later, four Salvation Army responders are sharing stories of the compassion that helped first responders keep going.

Ken Tregellas | Ground Zero

As The Salvation Army’s red zone coordinator, Ken Tregellas coordinated relief in the most restricted area of ground zero. He remembers volunteers using donated children’s socks to protect rescue dogs’ paws from the hot debris.

“The person who donated those socks probably never imagined how they’d be used,” Tregellas said. “But they helped.”

Tregellas later survived two rare Stage 4 cancers linked to ground zero exposure and is now 14 years cancer-free. You can read Ken’s full story here.

Tom McSherry | Ground Zero

Tom McSherry helped coordinate The Salvation Army’s crisis response before serving as assistant incident commander at ground zero. The volunteer who picked him up from the airport was an EMT and cancer survivor who had lost her brother at the Pentagon.

“She wanted to do something,” McSherry recalled. “And one of the antidotes for helplessness is action.”

McSherry continues serving first responders through chaplaincy and crisis intervention. You can read Tom’s full story here.

Melvin Welch | The Pentagon

From a mobile feeding unit less than 50 feet from the Pentagon impact site, Melvin Welch provided food, drinks, and comfort to first responders, military personnel, and evacuated employees.

“Sometimes they just needed a place to sit down, something to drink, and someone to be there with them,” Welch said.

He remained there for more than a month and remembers how people put aside their differences to help strangers. You can read Melvin’s full story here.

Lt. Colonel Debra Ashcraft | Ground Zero

During two deployments to New York, Lt. Colonel Debra Ashcraft provided emotional and spiritual care to exhausted first responders. One firefighter told her he survived each day because of The Salvation Army. She calls such moments the “ministry of presence.”

“You don’t always need the perfect words,” she said. “Sometimes people just need someone willing to sit with them.”

You can read Lt. Colonel Ashcraft’s full story here.

Be That Something

One of the key lessons repeated throughout these responder stories reminds us that helping someone through a crisis does not always require a grand gesture. Sometimes, it means bringing a meal to someone who has been working for hours, offering a place to sit, protecting a rescue dog’s paws, or simply staying with someone who needs to know they are not alone.

This message is at the heart of “Be That Something,” an invitation from The Salvation Army for people across the country to look for small ways to make a positive impact on those who may be carrying more than they can see.

At SalvationArmyUSA.org, visitors can discover more ideas for how they can “Be That Something” for someone in their lives, explore responder stories, and view archival photos and videos.

For b-roll and images of 9/11 on behalf of The Salvation Army, click here.

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About The Salvation Army 
The Salvation Army helped more than 28 million people in 2025 overcome poverty, substance abuse, and spiritual and economic hardships through a range of social services by providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, shelter for the homeless, and rehabilitation services for people in need. The Salvation Army serves nearly 7,600 centers of operation around the country. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

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SOURCE The Salvation Army