Each year the Tunnels to Towers foundation selects a Freedom Alliance scholarship student — the son or daughter of a fallen military hero — to receive the prestigious Richie Sheirer Memorial Scholarship award in honor of the late Richie Sheirer.
Richie Sheirer was the Director of New York City’s Office of Emergency Management at the time of the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. He is credited with organizing the massive and complicated Ground Zero recovery. As a board member of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Sheirer devoted countless hours to organize the Tunnel to Towers 5K and helped the foundation provide support to burn victims, wounded troops, and the children of fallen military heroes.
This year’s Richie Sheirer Memorial Scholarship recipient is Freedom Alliance scholar, Kesauna “Kiki” Patterson. Kiki is a sophomore at Columbus State University pursuing a degree in psychology. Kiki is inspired by her father’s service and hopes to join the Armed Forces after graduating from college. Her father, SSG Esau Patterson, was killed by a car bomb on April 29, 2004 as his unit was doing a dismounted improvised-explosive device-sweep in Baghdad.
Here is the speech Kiki gave at the award presentation:
Good evening, everyone, my name is Kesauna Patterson. Today, tomorrow, and always we continue to remember that heart stopping moment of 9/11. Firefighters, Police Officers, Volunteering Civilians, Family, Friends, and Lovers were separated, missing, and hurt in many ways. Our military responded and sent our troops off to war, as we know the Global War on Terrorism. My father, Staff Sargent Esau George Patterson Jr. was and is my hero. He was killed in Iraq in 2004, I was only two and did not know or understand the impact of losing my father until I had become a teenager. You see from all the stories my family would tell me, they always said I was my father’s child, and we were like twins. He was such a goof ball, with a big heart and a grand smile that lit up the room wherever he went. He was a big church man who taught Sunday School and was always helping others regardless of himself. He was a humble and peaceful spirit. He was a giving man, and someone you could always count on. I always laugh because, they might as well be describing me when they talked about him. Esau or what everyone knew him as, EJ, was determined and strong willed. He enlisted right after graduating high school and made it his duty to serve his country. I may not have known him but I one thing I can say is I am proud, and I am blessed to have had a dad like him. I did not know my dad, but all the stories helped me be able to visualize his life and I will cherish those stories forever.
September 11, 2001, marked the day our lives changed forever. Richard Sheirer was the man who put together the Ground Zero recovery. A firefighter, Stephen Siller, despite the end of his shift, he put 60lbs of gear on and raced to save as many lives as he could. First responders, servicemembers. And even civilians. Gave their life to save one more other person, putting their life at stake by serving their country and protecting our people, nonetheless. On this day we gained heroes.
I may be small, but my heart is a strong as thousand-man warrior battalion, and I am ready to step up to protect my family, my people, and my country. My plans after graduating college with my Psychology degree is to enlist into the United States Army, and dedicate my life to fight, protect and shelter my country to let them know they can now rest and be at ease with life. I come from a family of warriors, we are stubborn, smart, strong, and always at the ready.
I would not be here if it were not for organizations such as Freedom Alliance, I want to send my thanks to my Freedom Alliance family and the Stephen Siller Foundation, for your continued support our servicemembers, first responders and their families. To the Richie Sheirer family: your service and sacrifice will never be forgotten by me and so many others whose lives you have impacted. I want to thank everyone who continues to support our servicemembers, first responders and our families. I end with a quote by the late Queen Elizabeth II, it reads, “When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.”
Thank You.
Kiki found the entire Tunnels to Towers experience meaningful and inspiring. Born two months after the attacks on 9/11, Kiki hadn’t truly comprehended the scope and weight of the attacks until she attended the event and toured the memorial.
It gave her a new perspective and understanding of her father’s service and sacrifice and a stronger resolve to serve her country once she graduates from college. All of us at Freedom Alliance are proud of Kiki Patterson and the incredible woman she has become. We know her father would be proud too.
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