The annual National Memorial Day Concert airs this Sunday at 8 p.m. on PBS.
It will include a 20th anniversary remembrance of 9/11 presented by Steve Buscemi.
“I went to D.C. almost 20 years ago the year after 9/11; I was asked to do the 9/11 tribute then because they knew I’m a former firefighter with Engine 55 in Manhattan,” Buscemi said. “Here we are 20 years later. I’m actually not coming to D.C. I’ve pretaped my tribute at Ground Zero in front of the Freedom Tower and 9/11 museum, so I’m very honored.” He’ll never forget the heartbreak of watching the Twin Towers fall.
“It was awful,” Buscemi said. “Knowing how many people work there and how many people that were lost in the buildings, that was so overwhelming. It was really hard to comprehend. It wasn’t until I started hearing the numbers of firefighters that were missing that it hit home for me, because now I knew that I would know people who were lost.”