Retired New York firefighter Peter Fallucca, who narrowly survived the collapse of the World Trade Center's North Tower on 11 September 2001, has warned that America has grown complacent about the threat of another terrorist attack and has lost the sense of patriotism that followed the tragedy. Nearly 25 years on, he told the Daily Mail that younger generations increasingly view 9/11 as a distant historical event rather than a lived danger, and cautioned that "it could happen again" if the country fails to remain vigilant.

Fallucca, then a relatively new member of Engine 16, was dispatched to the Twin Towers moments after the first plane struck and entered the North Tower as the second plane hit the South Tower. He climbed to the 23rd floor before an evacuation order and an injured woman he helped ultimately drew him back outside shortly before the tower collapsed; every member of his unit survived, though firefighters from Ladder 7, based at the same firehouse, did not. He lamented that displaying an American flag today can be met with suspicion rather than pride, and argued that concerns about causing offence should not stop the country from confronting those who openly express hatred towards it.