Shortly after the fall of the Twin Towers, Houston firefighter Michael “Smitty” Smith began his work on a memorial to honor the firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
“It took several months, probably six months or better, but every day I’d come in, I’d put at least three names on the wall,” Smith said.
The memorial lives on the walls for HFD Station #28 on Chimney Rock, where Smith was stationed. Smith put the names of all 343 firefighters who died the day of the 9-11 attacks and then added the names of Houston firefighters who died in the line of duty.
“I just worked on it every day in between runs, and you know we’re the busiest station in town here, about 15-20 runs a day," said Smith, who retired from HFD 8-years ago, after serving 43 years with the department.
Smitty also diligently gathered every piece of 9-11 material he could find and added each piece to the walls of the fire station. From the first floor to the second floor, the walls of the station’s stairwell is a panorama honoring the sacrifices of the firefighters who died that day and, in the years following the attack.
Collages, pictures, badges, helmets and an array of other images document both the horror and the heroics of that day. Smith even has a 300-pound portion of a steel beam from one of the towers as a centerpiece to his memorial. Smith also acquired a New York City fire hydrant and decoupaged pictures of the 343 firefighters.
“I just wanted to show my respect to all these guys we lost," said Smith.
Since his retirement, the firefighters stationed at 28 have helped Smith keep the memorial intact. Smith also built a second 911 memorial just outside the town of Columbus off Highway-71.
Smith started building that memorial 6-years ago. There 343 American flags dedicated to the firefighters who died on 9-11, along with flags for the service members who died during the Afghanistan withdrawal. There are also 60 fire hydrants bearing the names of other firefighters who died in the line of duty or to firefighting related illnesses.
In addition to the hydrants, there large signs reading “911 Never Forget, FDNY 343 and HFD.” The memorial is easily seen from the road as the vibrant colors of the American flags and the brightly painted hydrants stand out against the rural countryside.
“I have a lot of people stop and take pictures of it,” said Smith. “I guess I’ve carried this over from my honor guard days. I wanted to show respect to the families, and I’ve even had some of the families come out here and see their loved ones’ fire hydrant I’ve dedicated to them.”
Smith also a has a 3-car garage on the property filled with 911 memorabilia as well as a stunning amount of firefighting gear from several different decades.
Smith is currently a firefighter with the Columbus Volunteer Fire Department and remains an active member of HFD’s honor guard.