{"podcast":{"title":"AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast","slug":"ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994","podcast_index_feed_id":4430994,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/podcast.ausa.org/feed.xml","website_url":"https://podcast.ausa.org/","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/4124058/army-matters-1400_wyjp4w.jpg","author":"Assn. of the United States Army","episode_count":100,"summary":"AUSA’s Army Matters podcast amplifies the voices of the Total Army – one story at a time. Join hosts LTG (Ret.) Les Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey every other Wednesday as they interview the modern chroniclers of the Army experience to discuss inspiring leadership stories, current issues faced by Soldiers and our military families’ journeys.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-09T20:20:46.026778+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994"},"episode":{"title":"Tunnel to Towers: 25 Years of Turning Loss into Hope","slug":"tunnel-to-towers-25-years-of-turning-loss-into-hope","published_at":"2026-09-09T09:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/tunnel-to-towers-25-years-of-turning-loss-into-hope","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994","url":"https://podcast.ausa.org/e/tunnel-to-towers-25-years-of-turning-loss-into-hope/","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9h6j8w3h4inrz6h3/AM_FrankSiller_20260903.mp3","summary":"On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen Siller had just completed a night shift with New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Squad 1. He was driving home to play golf with his brothers when he heard over his radio that America was under attack. He turned his truck around. When he reached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it had been closed. So, Stephen strapped on nearly sixty pounds of firefighting gear and ran through the tunnel toward the Twin Towers. He was never seen alive again. In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, to discuss his brother Stephen’s extraordinary sacrifice, the devastating days that followed, and how one family’s grief became the impetus for one of America’s largest organizations supporting military families, first responders, Gold Star families, and injured and homeless veterans. Guest: Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO, Tunnel to Towers Foundation and AUSA’s 2026 Marshall Medal Recipient What is Tunnels To Tower? Tunnel to Towers Foundation Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to…","meta_description":"On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen Siller had just completed a night shift with New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Squad 1. He was driving ho…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2713,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/episodes/tunnel-to-towers-25-years-of-turning-loss-into-hope/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/tunnel-to-towers-25-years-of-turning-loss-into-hope.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}