Ground Zero Chaplain Reflects on 25 Years Since 9/11

As the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Rev. Bill Minson is asking Americans not only to remember those who died, but to recognize and support the people who continue to put themselves in harm’s way for others.

Speaking at the Bayport-Blue Point Library, Minson reflected on his experiences at Ground Zero and a ministry that has taken him to communities across the country following some of the nation’s worst tragedies.

“We forget that the people who put their lives on the line for us have families,” Minson said. “They put themselves in danger every day. We need to pray for them, be there when they need us. They should get a standing ovation every day for what they do.”

Minson served as a chaplain at Ground Zero following the attacks, eventually continuing that work with the Salvation Army. He wears a heavy cross made from steel recovered at Ground Zero. After his presentation, a woman lifted it and remarked on its weight — a poignant symbol of the burden he carries since 9/11.

The Reverend’s ministry has since taken him around the country, offering comfort after countless tragedies, including the Oklahoma City bombing and mass shootings at Columbine, Las Vegas and Parkland.

“People may have lost a loved one,” Minson tells grieving families, “but they are not alone.”

Minson’s path to ministry was anything but conventional. Discussing his memoir, “Chaplain in Shades,” he recalled entering show business at just 15 after spotting men playing basketball on unicycles. He signed them and soon had his own traveling show, touring with the Ringling Brothers circus in their own train car.

His career took off from there, eventually bringing him into contact with some of entertainment’s biggest stars. He said Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan were among those who mentored him as a teenager.

But Minson said he resisted the calling that eventually changed the direction of his life.

“God wrote the book, I just dictated,” he said. “I wanted to produce records, run from the ministry. But as you can see, I was a failure.”

Minson also spoke admiringly of Dolly Parton and her efforts to provide millions of books to children, saying her generosity demonstrates what people with influence can accomplish when they turn their attention toward others.

“Let her be the light at this time,” Minson said in remembering her. “We will take Dolly’s example of kindness and generosity and move forward.”

The message was particularly fitting inside a library where the teen room honors FDNY firefighter John McNamara. His wife, Jennifer, attended Minson’s presentation. McNamara worked more than 500 hours at the World Trade Center following 9/11 and later died from a 9/11-related illness.

Minson called McNamara one of the bravest men he ever knew, recalling that even while seriously ill, the firefighter remained focused on helping others. It was that kind of selflessness, Minson said, that deserves far more attention than celebrity.

With Sept. 11 approaching, Minson said the question should not simply be how the country remembers what happened 25 years ago, but what kind of future Americans create from those lessons.

“If we see a need, our conscience says to us, is there something we can do?” he said.

For Minson, that question has defined the years since Ground Zero.

“Being able to help people is a blessing beyond words, a mission from God, and I’m trying my best not to mess it up,” he said. “Everything in my life didn’t happen by mistake. It was God’s destiny for me.”