“Where were you on 9/11?"
For millions of Americans they know exactly where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt when they first heard the news about the unfolding terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA.
For Ryan Yantis his answer is simply "I was on duty in the Pentagon on September 11th 2001."
Decorated for his valor and service that challenging day, Ryan now shares his story of servant leadership, accountability, teamwork, and survival with audiences across the country. Since 2004 Ryan has traveled across the county, and has visited high schools, colleges, libraries, and at patriotic community and veterans' events to share his story of service, luck and perseverance. Ryan is also a sought after figure for media on the topic of terrorism and America's efforts to ensure public safety. As a founding member of American Pride, Inc., a non-profit of Pentagon and World Trade Center survivors, Ryan works with others to get the survivors out to meet with people, share their stories and answer their questions.
Speaker fees for Ryan Yantis
Breakfast, Lunch or single session presentation: $250.00
Multiple session presentations, or High School visits (7am-5pm): $500.00
Multiple day-long presentations (7am-9pm): $750 - $1,000
To Schedule Ryan Yantis please call 815-355-6411.
Local events are defined as within 50 miles of Crystal Lake, IL. Out-of-state travel is reimbursed at cost, or agreed upon during booking. If an overnight schedule is anticipated, modest lodging is included in the package, along with a modest per diem.
Ryan is happy to engage local media and to help host groups with advance publicity and media engagement. We will also share information before, during and after events, in coordination with the hosts.
All audience members will be afforded the opportunity to provide feedback via anonymous online surveys. Complete survey results/ audience feedback will be shared with the hosts, as we believe accountability is very important.
Remarks Wauconda 9/11 HOFM Dedication
“Moment’s Speech”
Thank you.
I’ve been honored to have been associated with the committee responsible for this Memorial, their hard work, passion, and focus distilled down in to these brief moments to dedicate this great memorial. For this ceremony, we’ve each been allocated about three and a half minutes for remarks. In those moments, I am to convey what I experienced, what it was like on that morning, fourteen years ago.
Moments make a difference, a difference in life or death. For me in the Pentagon, it was a decision to walk off from a senior officer, to get him to follow me to a meeting. We got there, in about 3 and one-half minutes - just as the plane hit where we had been standing and arguing. We both lived.
For Army Nurse Patricia Hororho, a trauma nurse assigned on a policy desk in the Pentagon, her moment began as she emerged through smoke and flames, walking two badly burned people several hundred feet, spending precious time, to the shade of a tree. A tree, under which moments before, an Army medic had just placed his aid bag. And for those moments spent, those two injured lived.
Earlier in New York, World Trade Center Two survivor Joe Dittmar kept going down stairs, while others waited for the Sky Lobby elevators - just for a moment. He lived, they died.
Moments later, for the men and women on Flight 93, who gathered their courage and resolve, and spent their last fighting; stopping their plane from becoming a weapon to kill other innocent men, women, and children. Their moment saved lives, at great personal cost.
The Reagan National Airport Firetrucks from rolled north, even before the plane hit the Pentagon, because they guessed correctly, that there would be an attack in Washington DC. Those moments made a difference and saved lives. They spent their moments well.
For 2,977 their moments ended that day.
For their families, friends, and communities, those moments were lost, grieved over, and honored. For thousands of others, those of the World Trade Center and those of the Pentagon - the survivors - our moments that day shaped us, and for many, a commitment to spend our remaining moments better, with more meaning, began.
I am glad some of mine were spent here, with the Heroes of Freedom Memorial Committee, with the People of Wauconda, helping them to build a place of honor and healing.
For all here today, my challenge for you NOW is how you will spend all your future moments; and if the situation arises, to make a difference and to save lives. And those moments, unfortunately, continue, every day.
One example is that of three young American tourists - Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos, three friends on a Paris-bound train a few weeks back. When their moment came, they rose and in a moment that will define them for the rest of their lives, they fought, hand-to-hand with a terrorist intent on killing innocent men, women and children that day. Those three spent their moment well. Because of them, there are more survivors.
Your moments may be random acts of kindness, consideration, service, or simply doing the right thing. A moment against injustice, cruelty, bigotry, or hatred is a moment well spent. Be braver than you think, and as honorable as you can be. Challenge yourself and spend your moments well, spend them well.
Now, I have this moment to represent the thousands of other survivors. I will take this moment, this chance, to make things better. In this moment, as one survivor, and for those like me, thank you for this memorial, this day, and this place of honor and healing. Thank you.
"On behalf of the Survivors of 9/11, I dedicate this Memorial"
