Journey through Grief & Loss

It’s not surprising that Police Officer Moira Smith was born on Valentine’s Day. If ever there was a woman who loved life, it was Moira Smith. On September 11, 2001, as the World Trade Center was being destroyed, the thought that innocent people might lose their lives was something Moira found unacceptable. She rushed in and out of the Tower, leading people out of the confusion and chaos that surrounded the scene. Her actions saved hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Sergeant Mary Young, a close friend, said, “Nothing could keep her from running into that building on September 11th to help save lives. Nothing could stop her.”1

A now-famous picture of Moira helping a bloodied businessman out of the building was seen in newspapers throughout the world. Her last moments on earth were captured as a final testimony to a life of love that was dedicated to serving others.

One man who owes his escape to Moira remembers, “We exited the stairwell to a ramp which led toward the main plaza. Moira stood at the end of the ramp directing the traffic down the escalator. She had her flashlight in her right hand and she was waving it like a baton. She was repeating over and over , ‘Don’t look! Keep moving.’ The mass of people exiting the building felt the calm assurance that they were being directed by someone in authority who was in control of the situation. She insulated the evacuees from the awareness of the dangerous situation they were in, with the result that everything proceeded smoothly.”

Moira Smith was the only female police officer who died during the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. But Moira didn’t lose her life that day—she gave it. And the life that Moira willingly surrendered to her fellow citizens had been a full and happy one.