1 / 17

Jason Thomas: Rescuer - Former Marine Jason Thomas was dropping off his daughter at her mother’s house when he learned that a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers. Then, without hesitation, Thomas grabbed his combat uniform and rushed to Ground Zero to assist with the rescue efforts."Someone needed help. It didn't matter who," Thomas said, according to the Associated Press. "I didn't even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, 'My city is in need.’”Thomas continued to return to the crash site for several days to continue helping with search and rescue efforts.(Photo: LT. J. Higgins)

2 / 17

LeRoy Homer: Pilot, United Flight 93 - On September 11, LeRoy Homer was flying with Captain Jason M. Dahl on United Airlines Flight 93 when four men hijacked the plane. The hijackers crashed the airplane after the crew and passengers fought to regain control. Prior to his commercial flying career, Homer was a member of the US Air Force and US Air Force Reserves. (Photo: Courtesy US Airforce)

3 / 17

Lillian Benson: Filmmaker - All of the emergency response personnel that risked and sacrificed their lives to save others on September 11 deserve special honor and mention. However, on that day, the African-American firefighters of New York lost 12 men who were forever memorialized in a special documentary after Lillian Benson, a Black New Yorker, lamented that the stories of the department’s Black members weren’t receiving enough media attention.(Photo: Lisa Bevis)

4 / 17

Congressman Charles Rangel - The veteran Congressman did his part to advocate on behalf of September 11 victims when he managed to get unemployment benefits extended for workers after the attacks. The benefits were of particular help to many New Yorkers working in the travel and lodging industries, which were economically hit hard by the attacks. (Photo: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Photo By Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

5 / 17

Cynthia McKinney - Former Congresswoman McKinney ignited a controversial debate after September 11 when she suggested that former President Bush had prior knowledge of the attacks. Although some say her convictions cost her a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, McKinney never shied away from her position.“Because I love my country, because I am a patriot, and because the American people deserve the truth, I believe it would be dangerous, loony and irresponsible not to hold full congressional hearings on any warnings the Bush Administration had before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,” McKinney said. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Photo By Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

6 / 17

Congressman Keith Ellison - Since September 11, American Muslims have faced widespread discrimination and racial profiling and Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison is an African-American Muslim that has become an advocate for Muslims of all races. In addition to his work defending Muslim communities, Ellison achieved the milestone of becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress.(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

7 / 17

Congressman Keith Ellison - Since September 11, American Muslims have faced widespread discrimination and racial profiling and Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison is an African-American Muslim that has become an advocate for Muslims of all races. In addition to his work defending Muslim communities, Ellison achieved the milestone of becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress.(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

8 / 17

Condoleezza Rice - Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had the difficult job of serving as National Security Advisor during the September 11 attacks. Given her important position as head of the nation’s security interests, Rice had to answer to the country and the world as to why the attacks were not pre-empted when she testified before the 9/11 Commission."There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks … in hindsight, if anything might have helped stop 9/11, it would have been better information about threats inside the United States,"Rice said during her testimony. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

9 / 17

President Barack Obama - Although George W. Bush was in office at the time of the September 11 attacks and began the hunt for Osama bin Laden, it was President Obama that brought the ten-year manhunt to an end. President Obama was responsible for directing the head of the CIA to make the capture and killing of bin Laden a top priority and in doing so, brought some closure to the victims of September 11 and the entire country.(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

10 / 17

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder - The Obama administration’s attorney general fought to have 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed tried in a New York civilian court instead of being tried before a military tribunal. Although he faced public criticism for the decision, Eric Holder kept his resolve that even those who commit acts of terrorism deserve due process of law.“There is no other tool that has demonstrated the ability to both incapacitate terrorists and collect intelligence from them . . . as our justice system,” Holder said. (Photo: REUTERS /YURI GRIPAS /LANDOV)

11 / 17

General Colin Powell - Powell served as Secretary of State on September 11, 2001, and his diplomacy following the attacks helped the United States gain international support for its War on Terror.“...the one thing that terrorists cannot do – not one of them; not 10 of them; not 10,000 of them – they can't change who we are as an open, freedom-loving people. We open our arms to the rest of the world. We are touched by every nation and every nation touches us. So we can't take such counsel of our fears that we change who we are, even though the terrorists aren't able to change who we are," Powell said. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

12 / 17

Ceecee Lyles: Flight Attendant, United Flight 93 - Ceecee Lyles was working on United Flight 93 as a flight attendant on the morning of September 11 when hijackers took control of the plane and crashed it in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A newlywed for little over a year, Lyles called her husband during the hijacking and left a chilling message on his answering machine about the plans the crew and passengers had to fight the hijackers.(Photo: Courtesy United Airlines)

13 / 17

Wanda Anita Green: Flight Attendant, United Flight 93 - Wanda Green was reportedly one of the first African-Americans to join United Airlines as a flight attendant. She was a part of the courageous crew that fought back against the hijackers on September 11.(Photo:  Courtesy United Airlines)

14 / 17

Keithroy Maynard: New York Fire Department - Keithroy Maynard was a firefighter who died on September 11. Maynard was remembered for taking on his role as a Black firefighter with great honor and pride."People do look to you," he said, according to the New York Times. "You're like a role model in a sense, especially in the black community where there aren't many black firefighters."(Photo: Courtesy NYC Fire Department)

15 / 17

Vernon Richard: New York Fire Department - Lieutenant Vernon Richard, was a 24-year veteran of the New York Fire Department who sacrificed his life in the September 11 attacks.(Photo: Courtesy NYC Fire Department)

16 / 17

Officer Clinton Davis: New York Port Authority Police - Officer Clinton Davis lost his life alongsode his friend and partner Uhuru Houston after they rushed into the North Tower to help people evacuate.(Photo: Courtesy NY/NJ Port Authority)

17 / 17

Officer Uhuru Houston - Officer Uhuru Houston lost his life alongsode his friend and partner Clinton Davis after they rushed into the North Tower to help people evacuate.(Photo: Courtesy NY/NJ Port Authority)