On Friday, students at Camden County College heard a firsthand account from a South Jersey man who survived the attacks and helped others evacuate the World Trade Center.
Louis Giaccardo, an Audubon native, was working on the 87th floor of the South Tower when he began evacuating after the first tower was struck. Recalling the moment, he said, "Oh my God, what was that? I looked up and see a fireball going across the windows."
As the situation unfolded, Giaccardo said there was little time to process what was happening.
"It happened so fast - we don't have time to be afraid," he said.
Giaccardo said he and others immediately began helping people leave the building.
"We managed to clear 40 people off the floor," he said.
According to Giaccardo, he was in the stairwell on the 55th floor when the second hijacked plane struck the South Tower, about 20 floors below the impact zone.
Looking back, he said the timing of the evacuation proved critical.
"If we would have stayed... the plane would have hit behind us, and we would have been trapped in there and unable to get out. To that perspective, that office I told you about? They lost 24 of 25 people right across the hall," Giaccardo said.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, Giaccardo said he hopes sharing his experience helps younger generations understand not only the tragedy of Sept. 11, but also the acts of courage and unity that followed.
"I want them to know what happened that day. Yes, there was evil that day - but there was a little good that happened," he said.
Giaccardo also reflected on the country's response in the aftermath of the attacks.
"We came together as a nation. Never forget. And I think sometimes we have forgotten," he said.
Giaccardo said he has been speaking about Sept. 11 for the past 25 years and hopes to continue sharing his story so that the events of that day are never forgotten.