Watch the full 2025 'Tower of Heroes' special

"Tower Of Heroes" shares the inspirational stories behind the annual Tunnel To Towers Tower Climb New York City, which will challenge over 1,000 climbers to scale 104 stories, 2,226 steps to the observatory at the top of One World Trade Center on Sunday, June 1.

NEW YORK - "Tower Of Heroes" shares the inspirational stories behind the annual Tunnel To Towers Tower Climb New York City, which will challenge over 1,000 climbers to scale 104 stories, 2,226 steps to the observatory at the top of One World Trade Center on Sunday, June 1.

Each grueling step taken during the climb is a reflection of the extraordinary support The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is providing to catastrophically injured veterans, first responders, Gold Star families and families of fallen first responders for more than 20 years.

The climb also serves as an example of communities from across the country and the world coming together to honor the heroes we lost on - and in the years since - the September 11th terror attacks.

Here's a look at some of the inspirational stories shared in this year's special:

Honorary starter Laura Seals

Laura Seals is one of the honorary starters for this year's tower climb. Laura created The Seals 766 team in honor of her husband, Det. Joseph Seals. He was shot and killed during a confrontation with a terror suspect in Jersey City in 2019. She completed the 102-story Tower Climb last year with her son Ethan and Joe's colleagues. Hear from Laura and her teammate Rose Robateau, a climber and surviving wife of Lt. Chris Robateau. He was also a Jersey City police officer and was killed in 2018.

Honorary starter Esther Veve

Esther Veve is an honorary starter at this year's Tower Climb, supporting her husband, NYPD Det. Dalsh Veve, who became paralyzed after a traumatic brain injury in 2017. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation renovated their home to improve accessibility, making Dalsh the first law enforcement officer to receive such modifications. Esther and Dalsh formed Team Dalsh's Dawgs in 2022, growing from five to over 130 members, and together with Team Seals 766, they comprise a quarter of the participants in this year's NYC Tower Climb.

Smart Home Recipient Michael Gaynor

Michael Gaynor served in Iraq as an Army Specialist 14 years ago. The veteran was seriously injured and is now a paraplegic. T2T dedicated a mortgage-free smart home in Round Top, New York, near the Catskills.

Student-Athlete Ambassador Caitlin Collins

Caitlin Collins is a Morristown, New Jersey native and a freshman midfielder on the Rutgers Women's Lacrosse team. She was inspired to join the Student-Athlete Ambassador program by her parents, specifically her father, Ed Collins Jr., who is the current Captain of the Union, New Jersey Fire Department. Caitlin’s grandfather and great-grandfather were also firefighters. She is very passionate about T2T’s mission, and she's dedicated to raising awareness through her platform as a Division I athlete.

Veteran Homelessness Program

Orlando Camacho, a 62-year-old US Army veteran, joined the military under challenging circumstances and is now 100% disabled. After struggling with homelessness and substance abuse, he learned about the Houston Veterans Village through his social worker in New Jersey and moved there a year ago after rehab. At the Village, Camacho has received treatment for PTSD and found hope through the program's services, expressing excitement about new comfort homes being built. He works in janitorial services under the AARP program and aims to save money for a car, advising other veterans to focus on a higher power and feeling blessed to be part of the community.

This comes as veteran advocates celebrates the groundbreaking of a Veterans Village in Bayville, New Jersey, earlier this month.

New York City September 11