9/11’s youngest first responder casualty

Huntington, L.I.: I vividly recall the sunny morning with not even a cloud in the sky 25 years ago — until news reports came in that the twin towers were hit, and nothing would ever be the same. And I will never forget how we all came together as one proud city and nation.

Of all the heroism displayed that day, there was one story that was very personal. It was about a young man who worked for a law firm in my building near JFK Airport, who I must’ve passed in the hallways too many times to remember. His name was Richard Allen Pearlman, and he was only 18 years old, working as a messenger and delivering documents at 1 Police Plaza when the first plane struck the North Tower. His office had implored him to stay put for safety. Instead, he called to tell them he was heading to the towers to treat the wounded, as he was also a volunteer EMT. There was even a photograph published in Newsweek capturing him aiding people at Ground Zero. He was in the South Tower helping a patient when it collapsed. He was the youngest first responder killed in the attacks.

We can’t take what we have in this beautiful country, however imperfect, for granted.

Elmhurst: After 25 years, the WTC documents released by the city that show what our body politic knew about the toxicity of the air after the 9/11 attacks tells us three things. The first is that every politician who claimed the air was safe should be voted out of office. The second is that they should all be locked up. The third and most important thing is that their deliberate lie is........

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