WAUWATOSA, Wisc. — 23 years have passed and it’s still hard for Julie Henneberry to talk about.
The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 was a devastating day for America, especially for Henneberry.
Her father was Lt. Peter Freund, a firefighter with the New York Fire Department’s Engine Company 55. He died on that fateful day, leaving behind three kids.
Henneberry was just shy of 11.
"It's something I have to learn to live with, like the fabric of my everyday life,” she explained to me. “I have family members who still struggle, I have siblings that struggle every day.”
She came to Wisconsin as a young adult — Henneberry says it was her grown-up version of running away. The City, the memorial, the local fire trucks were too painful to see on a daily basis.
"Obviously what he did was incredibly brave and selfless but I do have sometimes where I get angry, like ‘Why didn't you leave?’” Henneberry said, wiping her tear stained cheeks.
Lt. Freund was responding to the attack. He made it as far up as the 26th floor of the north tower.
Henneberry isn’t sure what kept him inside, as the first tower had already collapsed. She suspects he was helping people escape, but he wouldn’t resurface alive.
Freund was found separate from the rest of his team.
"I'm still trying to process a lot of it myself, from being angry,” she choked out. “And I talked to the firefighters who survived."
But 9/11 still feels fresh, as if it happened yesterday, haunting her for over two decades now.
Henneberry’s mindset began to shift when her 4-year-old son Bennett was old enough to start asking questions.
"I can't keep stuffing this anymore. I need to be able to explain to him what happened to me, and who grandpa was,” she noted.
As part of her ongoing healing process, Henneberry will compete in the New York City Marathon in November, in honor of her father and to fundraise for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation — an organization that supports injured and fallen first responders.
She sees it as going back to New York on her own terms.
Henneberry is taking the race seriously, training diligently since spring.
"Even now, I'm like "Who signed me up for this?” she joked. “I don't know if [my dad] could do a full marathon. I think about it and 26 miles is a lot."
Watch: Woman runs NYC Marathon to honor late father.
It’s not about the finishing time, Henneberry said.
"Hopefully it'll go well. I want to get from point A to point B...and not get carted off...so I'm going to enjoy it."
And she’ll have the perfect running shoes to cross the finish line — a custom pair decorated by a local artist. The shoes, gifted by her husband, sport her dad’s portrait, the New York skyline, and the engine company symbol.
Now Henneberry knows her father’s face will shine up at her, cheering her on every step of the way.
Henneberry will also attend the 9/11 memorial ceremony in Kewaskum on Wednesday. Two men who served in the aftermath of the attack will be keynote speakers.
The event goes from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m at the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial and Education Center.
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