Heroic 9/11 Firefighter Who Stood By President Bush's Side In Iconic Photo Passes Away At 91

Beckwith, who was famously photographed alongside then-President George W. Bush at Ground Zero, passed away at the age of 91.

The news of Beckwith's passing was announced by former Long Island Republican Representative Peter King on Facebook. King paid tribute to Beckwith, describing him as "an American icon who personified the best of the FDNY, New York and America at our most perilous moment."

February 06, 2024

"I was proud to call Bob my friend and extend my prayers and deepest sympathy to his wife Barbara and all his family members," King added. "Bob Beckwith R.I.P." The cause of Beckwith's death has not been disclosed. He leaves behind his wife, their six children, and numerous grandchildren.

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Beckwith, a resident of Baldwin, New York, was 69 and had been retired for seven years after a three-decade career with the FDNY. On September 14, 2001, he rushed to Ground Zero to assist with search and rescue efforts. His actions that day, captured in a photograph that graced newspapers and television screens worldwide, and even the cover of Time magazine, etched him into the annals of history.

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In the iconic image, Beckwith, donned in a firefighter's helmet and a respirator, stands atop the wreckage of Engine Co. 76's fire engine. He was approached by Karl Rove, a senior presidential aide, who told him, "Somebody is coming here. What you do, you help them up, and then you get down."

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Moments later, President Bush, clad in a grey jacket and slacks, approached Beckwith. "I said, 'Oh my God.' I pulled him up on the rig, I turned him around. I said, 'Are you OK, Mr. President. He said. 'Yeah,'" Beckwith recalled in a 2023 interview with NBC New York. "So, I start to get down and he said, 'Where you going?' I said, 'I was told to get down.' He said, 'Oh no, you stay right here.' And he put his arm around me."

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Bush was handed a bullhorn to address the first responders and ironworkers at the site. As he began speaking, with his arm around Beckwith, a voice from the crowd shouted, "We can't hear you." Beckwith remembered how the President then improvised, delivering a rallying cry that resonated with the crowd and the nation.

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"I can hear you," Bush said through the bullhorn. "The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked down these buildings will hear all of us soon."

The crowd erupted in chants of "USA!" Beckwith, reflecting on the moment years later, said, "And there I am standing there. I did look up to heaven and I did say, 'Look at me, Ma. I'm with the President.'"

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As Beckwith began to leave, a Secret Service agent handed him an American flag, a gift from President Bush. The following year, Beckwith and his wife were invited to the White House, where he presented Bush with the now-famous bullhorn.

Their chance encounter atop the crushed fire truck led to a lasting bond. Throughout Bush's presidency, the Beckwiths were annual guests at the White House Christmas party. Each year, Beckwith received a Christmas card featuring a holiday-themed painting by the former President, who has taken up painting in his retirement.

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At his Baldwin home, Beckwith cherished a framed copy of the Time magazine cover featuring him and Bush at Ground Zero, and the flag gifted by the former President.

Reflecting on his iconic moment, Beckwith said last year, "It's not about me. It's about the President and the country, and it was for a terrible tragedy. I'm not gonna pat myself on the back, I didn't do anything. When the President was there, I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time."