Remembering September 11th: A Nantucket Firefighter's Photos From Ground Zero

As the nation prepares to observe the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, we are sharing a unique remembrance of the horrific events that unfolded in New York City a quarter-century ago.

Former Nantucket firefighters Jeff Allen and Shawn Monaco left the island in the days after the attacks to travel to Lower Manhattan and assist their FDNY counterparts at Ground Zero in any way they could. We previously chronicled their journey here.

Over the past few weeks leading up to Friday's 25th anniversary, Allen had all the photos he took on film at Ground Zero reprinted and digitized. Allen took the following photos with a Nikon 35mm camera and shared the digital images with the Current:

"I believe that Shawn and I felt a tremendous sense of duty to respond to Ground Zero and to help in whatever way we could," Allen said this week. "It is in all firefighters' DNA to go towards the danger, to ignore the potential personal cost of bearing witness to such a horrible event. We remain dedicated to the memory of those lost and sharing our small piece of the story. I hope my pictures allow those who view them to remember and reflect. I will continue to return to New York City around the 11th to reconnect with the close friends I made and to appreciate the resiliency of the greatest city in the world. Never forget."