Wounded U.S. Service Members Take in 9/11 Memorial

Bryan Wagner, 25, of Exeter, Calif., was in high school when terrorists used jetliners as missiles, destroying the World Trade Center's twin towers nearly ten years ago.

"It was a big reason for me to join up," said Wagner, who had his leg taken by an improvised explosive device, or IED, while serving in Baghdad, Iraq, in December 2007.

Wagner toured the 9/11 Memorial today with other injured service members from the Wounded Warriors Project, a nonprofit organization with a mission to honor and empower wounded members of the military.  

Former NFL players Tedy Bruschi, a three-time Super Bowl champion, and Chad Lewis, who played for the Rams during the team's 1999 Super Bowl win, joined the "wounded warriors" on the tour. During the tour, everyone gathered briefly at the "Survivor Tree," where President Obama took part in a wreath-laying ceremony last week in the wake of a successful military operation that killed Osama bin Laden.   

9/11 Memorial Joe Daniels led the group, calling it an honor to walk with the men and women who risked their lives for the nation's freedoms.

The NFL and the Wounded Warrior Project are partnering to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, beginning May 13. The aim of the climb is to help raise awareness for America's wounded heroes. Bruschi and Lewis will join a group of wounded warriors, including Wagner, on the climb.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff