“I’m coming down with you,” Harry told the stranger. “I’m not going to leave you.” Those are the last words we know of that Harry Ramos said. No doubt there were other words spoken after that by Harry Ramos to Victor, a heavy-set man that Harry was trying to help out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Harry Ramos was the head trader at May Davis, whose offices were on the 87th floor of Tower 1. Thirteen May Davis employees were in Tower 1. Twelve escaped with their lives that morning. Harry Ramos was killed when Tower 1 collapsed.
By all accounts, Harry was a wonderful, caring and compassionate man. He was on the phone with his wife Migdalia (“Mikki”) when the plane hit. He told her he was OK, and that he was going to get his group to safety.
Several survivors have said that Harry helped countless people on the 87th floor to the stairwells. On or around the 53rd floor he encountered Victor, who was struggling. Harry carried, coaxed, and encouraged Victor down to the 36th floor. At that point they just couldn’t go on any further and they sat together as the building collapsed around them. We will never know what Harry’s final comforting words to Victor were.
Harry was 41 years old (some reports indicate he was 45) and left behind his wife and two children. He’s been called a hero, and my research shows that is truly the case. Harry would probably say, “I’m no hero. I’m just a guy at the office”. Trust me, Harry is the definition of a hero. Harry was loved by many. I’ve read every tribute I could find that friends and family left behind. They paint a picture of a dedicated worker, a great friend and a loving husband and father. Harry was a fine dresser and an even better dancer. He was known to enjoy a beer or two after work with his buddies, a couple of who report that he was apparently a pretty lousy fisherman. Harry adored his wife and children.
I did not know Harry, but I feel like I’ve grown to know what kind of person he was through my research.
I lived in Brooklyn, NY when I was in the fourth and fifth grade. The World Trade Center was under construction at that time and I watched in fascination as they were built. I had lots of friends that lived in New York City. One person I knew, (or am pretty sure I did. I went to 5th grade with someone of the same name) Al Niedermeyer, was killed on 9/11.
September 11, 2001 also happened to be my son’s tenth birthday. I’ll never forget in the ensuing days when he said, “Daddy, why did this have to happen on my birthday?”
So I feel a special connection to 9/11, and I’m sure thousands of others feel similar connections. This act of supreme cowardice affected us all.
I was glad that I was able to get in on the 2,996 Project and I’m grateful that Harry was randomly assigned to me. I wish I could have hoisted a beer with him and listened to him talk about his wife and kids. The world is an emptier place without Harry Ramos.
I tried very hard to find out exactly who “Victor” was that Harry comforted in their final moments. One report said it was Victor Ward, but there is no Victor Ward in any list of victims. There is however, a Victor Wald who also died in Tower 1, and his photo fits the description in serveral accounts I’ve read. I’m relatively confident this is the man Harry died trying to save.
Here is a photo of Victor Wald:
He looks like a nice man. I’m glad that Victor and Harry didn’t die alone.Though they had never met, I’m cetain they were able to comfort each other in their final moments.
I could never write a fitting tribute to Harry Ramos. I tried my best. Researching and writing this was very painful, yet it was also a wonderful experience, if that makes any sense. There are numerous comments about Harry scattered across the Internet. His friends and family are far more qualified than I am to pay lasting tribute to Harry. Here are some of their words:
I met Harry on my first day of work, back in August 1987. I was fresh out of college. I was the first day of my “adult” life and he was one of the few people that I met and actually liked. I know that it sounds like a cliche, but I do not know a single person who ever had a bad thing to say about Harry professionally or personally. I have met many people in my time as a broker and made many friends. Most of those relationships did not last. But Harry and I did. He was like the glue that held a lot of us together. I think about him several times a day. The joy we would share by looking at pictures of each others families. I know that the frequency of my thoughts will fade over time but the hole in my heart will never heal. Men like Harry are few and far between. I hope that his family knows how fortunate they were to have had him in their lives, even for a short time. I do.
— Adam Mayblum
ONCE I FOUND OUT I WAS HEARTBROCKEN AND I WAS HOPEING THAT MY UNCLE [HARRY]
WAS O.K. WE WERE ALL AT AT HOME PRAYING HE WAS FINE. THEN WE GOT A CALL FROM MY AUNT WHO IS HARRY’S WIFE SAYING HE CALLED HER AND SAID ”MIC SOMETHING HIT THE BUILDING BUT I AM O.K. HE WAS KNOWN EVERYWHERE AND EVERYONE WILL ALLWAYS REMEMBER HIM. HE WAS VERY BRAVE TO CARE FOR SOMEONE ELSE IN THE BUILDING BESIDES HIMSELF. ALO HE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME AND ALWAYS IN MY HEART I LOVE YOU HARRY.— Stephanie Smith, Harry’s 11 year old niece
Thanks for making me leave our office on 9/11 and for not letting me stay behind.
— Joanne Capestro
Many more tributes to Harry can be found here and here. Read these. Every single word. If you don’t weep like a baby, you have no heart. If it doesn’t make you furious that this happened, you have no soul.
We must never forget Harry, or any of the other 2,995, their friends and their family.
The Phoenix Real Estate Guy was started by Jay Thompson, and I have a little blogging problem... he liked to say...
You did a wonderful job with this tribute, Jay. You brought Harry Ramos to life for me. Harry's heroism was featured on the Discovery channel's recent WTC special. I wish I possessed that strength, that bravery.
Dinah Webster: A Tribute
Thanks for your comment on my tribute post.
You did a fine job with this tribute. Harry was a fine man, and I have been given the chance to get to know him through your words. This was a moving tribute…you did well.
All my best, Carly
What a courageous man…he not only helped so many people he knew, but he helped Victor who it seems he did not know, or work with (being presumptious here). By helping Victor and not leaving without him or rushing past him, he gave Victor hope that they would get out of the building…in times of such distress, that hope adds strength to an otherwise frightened spirit no matter the outcome. Thank you for sharing Harry with us and helping me learn of him through your words.
My tribute is also up now should you care to read it 🙂
You did a wonderful and fitting tribute to a man that is a hero. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and caring so that all can see what a man he was.
Please stop by my tribute to Gilbert and leave a link and comment so that others can come here to read.
Very moving tribute! I'm in tears… Thank you
I admire people who help others. In life Harry was larger than life, he helped a stranger when he
didn't have too. May he and all the others who did not survive 9/11 rest in peace.
Your tribute is very moving and poignant. Harry sounds like he was a wonderful person, and his chosing to stay with Victor, even though the towers were falling, was a supreme example of caring.
Thank you so much for sharing him wiht us – I just cried at the image of him dying trying to save Victor. Some people are true heroes.
I only have two comments … the first, is a correction:
You're wrong. You wrote a wonderfully fitting tribute and you should be very proud of it. You've allowed us to "meet" Harry, and now he will forever live on in our collective memories.
It makes perfect sense — I think all of us 2996 bloggers must feel the same right now.
Beautiful tribute. You put a lot of work into it, and it shows. I'm glad that so many bloggers have come together in such a special way to remember.
Jay,
This is very touching. I had noticed the banner on your site before, but didn't realize what it was. Thank you for sharing Harry with us. We need to remember him.
Maureen
Hats off to you Jay, wonderful job.
Hats off to Harry!! Not to mention the many other hero's who never made it out alive on that horrible day.
sniff.. well i did cry.. but i've hardly stopped today.
what a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man.
my thoughts and heart goes out to his family and friends.
thank you for sharing this with us.
i felt the same that i could not do justice to eric. but in our own ways we each remember them and let others feel someting of them too it is enough for now.
here's to a lousy fisherman but a great man. he is missed.
Wow… A powerful story. I'm glad you found Victor, too.
Memory eternal…
Tribute to Christopher Paul Slattery
I'm speechless over such a brave and selfless person. I came over from your comment on Jade's site.
Jay, thanks for stopping by and reading my tribute. You have done a spectacular job in making Harry real to me. His is one of the stories I've heard through the years and it's nice to be able to put a face on the guy who stayed behind to help a stranger. He has the look of a boy, a happy, contented young man. He was also a hero, someone who could put the needs of another person before their own in a very dangerous situation. That says it all about Harry. God bless him and you for taking the time to share him with us.
I'm so proud to be a part of this project!
Wonderful job!! I echo the comments of the other 2.996 bloggers – what an honor to
be part of this project! Bravo!!
Dale's site is down, BTW – "suspended" according to the host (maybe too much traffic?) – so
I found you by Google.
That was a really moving tribute – what an amazing man. I wrote a tribute to Marjorie C. Salamone.
Jay,
I'm so glad you did sign up. That was a beautiful tribute.
Thanks for your comments on my tribute to Eddie Papa.
-rachel
You have written a powerful tribute to a true hero. You should be proud.
Amazing tribute. I can't imagine what a blessing, and a curse, for his wife to have married such a stand up guy, a true hero in every sense of the word. Because of him, there were many survivors and at least one less victim to go down alone.
Jay,
Until just a moment ago, I knew no one who died at the WTC on 9/11. Thanks to you and your very powerful words, I can now tell people I did know one courageous man who died in the tower(s) that day: Harry Ramos.
You did a very good job and I belive, even though I never met
Harry, you have painted a beautiful picture of the man.
Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by so far to read the tribute to Harry. I've read probably 50 tributes since last night, and it's just gut-wrenching to think about all these brilliant, special people getting cut down in the prime of life.
I honestly would like to read all 2,996 tributes, but the thought is overwhelming. If you spent just five minutes on each tribute it would take almost 250 hours to read them all. You could read these tributes for an hour a day for almost a year. It's staggering how many lives were lost and touched five years ago.
With warmest regards,
Jay
Wow. What an honorable man and what a legacy he left behind. I'm still crying. Thank you for taking so much time with your tribute and letting us get to know him.
A very moving tribute to a caring, compassionate man. Thank you for sharing.
I remember Sheila Hein
http://hidingfromthekids.blogger.com
This is a fine tribute, and Harry would appreciate it. The fact that he remained behind with Victor, when he could have made it out, speaks volumes about Harry Ramos. And I agree that Victor was probably a very nice man. I, too, am glad they both were with someone during their final moments.
Thanks.
Sorry for the abrupt change in themes here. I did something and whacked the template I've been using for over a year. I have no idea what I did to it, but it's mangled. So I'm scrambling to find one that will at least display the tribute to Harry properly.
What a beautiful soul you've commemorated. What a great loss for the world. May Harry's family and friends know that they are being held in the hearts of many now and always.
I remember Brooke David Rosenbaum.
Very moving tribute Jay. I would have like to hoist a beer with Harry too. He was a good man.
Wow, such an amazing tribute to Harry Ramos. Thank you for researching and sharing his story. You've put such a warm face on such cold and staggering numbers, and you've made me wish that we had more like Harry Ramos in the world. That he would so willingly help a stranger at risk of his own life is truly courageous and heroic in the most true sense of those words, and while his wife, children, family and friends must miss such a wonderful person terribly, I hope that they also find some comfort in tributes such as yours. Thank you.
You did do Harry justice. I knew when I saw the picture of him holding his baby that this one was going to be hard to read. (they all are)
The quote from his niece was heartbreaking. I think sometimes we forget how many friends and families were impacted by this horrific act.
I applaud all of the 2996 bloggers. We owe you all our grattitude.
A Beautiful Tribute To A Very Very Brave man
Oh the utter sadness of this day…
So very many good people…lost on
that terrible terible day….
Thank you for writing such a beautiful tribute
for a truly beautiful man!
Jonathon's Closet remembers Robert Levine.
I found you through carly's blog.
Wonderful tribute to this incredible hero. You made him and his family
proud.
My niece turned 9 on that horrible day…so yes, a bittersweet day indeed.
I did a tribute too, and felt as you did..that I got to know him
Nancy
What a wonderful tribute to an incredibly brave and caring man. I was holding back the tears until I
read the part about Harry and Victor… two strangers coming together to comfort each other during
their last moments in this life.
It is so difficult for our children to understand 9/11. My son was 9 at the time…I remember him being
so scared.
Thank you for putting your heart into Harry's tribute…he was truly an American hero. Thank you
for visiting my tribute, too.
A wonderful tribute to a man who was truly an American hero. I was holding back the tears until I realized
that Harry and Victor, two complete strangers, were there for each other during their last moments in this life.
They never could have imagined it would have been like that…the reality, 5 years later, is still
unbelievable.
Thank you for putting your heart into this beautiful tribute to a loving and caring young man.
And, thanks for visiting my tribute to Dominick Berardi,
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful words you left on my blog yesterday. I read my son Donovan your post and it made him feel like he wasn't alone in the world. It is so hard for a kid to have a birthday in the world and knowing about your son and the fact that they are close in age helped. Your tribute was beautiful! I am so proud to have been a part of this. I feel like I got to know all of those memorialized, especially my own, Teresa Martin! Again, thank you. It is amazing what the words of a stranger can do! And the happiest of birthdays to your son.
This was so well done! I recently saw their story on the Discovery channel and was moved to tears then as I am now.
Thank you for this wonderful tribute. And for leaving a comment on my tribute.
I remember John Napolitano.
I found that nothing I wrote could truly equal the people I was paying tribute to. All I could do was learn about them, love them for what they gave for our freedom, and miss them as if they were my best friend.
Thank you for your tribute. You did him proud.
Cindi
I proudly paid tribute to Jay Robert Magazine and Mark Bingham.
Just a guy at the office.
That line caught my eye because I've seen so many/read so many tributes. I had a firefighter who promsied to come home and one day he couldn't. But one thing I've learned…those guys at the office/on Flight 93…the ones who had time to think made heroic gestures…gestures I fully believe each and every one of them would have done if they'd had time. So not just the police/firefighters…military…they were all our heroes that day, weren't they? And you did a really great tribute to Mr. Ramos. This is one of the best I've read.
Have a great day.
Very nice tribute. I have really enjoyed meeting some of the heros that I hadn't heard about before. Harry was certainly one of the them. His actions were extraordinary and heroic. His family must be very proud of him.
What a lovely tribute! Thank you for honouring Harry. He sounds like a nice guy.
Thank you for stopping by mine.
Thank you for doing this. It's amazing to watch everyone honor the lives lost.
Wow, I read a story like that once. A man deliberately sacrificed his life just to give comfort to some one who was certain to die. He just went over to him and talked about the weather. He got the man to smile ..then they both died. I have to look up that story again.
So the story reflects real people and here is the real story.
Thank you for that tribute.
max
Judith Ann Reese
It never ceases to amaze me how incredible all of these
people were. What a heart he had. to knowingly stay
behind so that another human being wouldn't die alone seems
to me, the ultimate in human kindness and love.
He was a hero. Thank you Jay for doing this.
WC
that was a very fitting tribute i thought and I feel like you that the world has lost a great and caring man
I am sori to hear about your friend Al Niedermeyer. The servers were busy but I am going to check him out later on.
My love and prayers are with u and all the other people who lost someone on that day.
This a very nice tribute to Harry. He did him proud. Thank you for sharing such a brave and compassionate man. Thank you for topping by.
This is really a very sad story. He truly is a hero.
As I continuously keep visiting sites with tribute, it makes my heart bleed for
all the victims and brings tears to my eyes as I recall all these young people losing their
lives to something beyond their control. These cruel people who caused the tragedy just
didn't care about these innocent lives, lives with yet unfulfilled dreams,
lives who may have been depended upon by their loved ones.
My sympathy goes to all the victims' family of these Sept. 11/2001 tragedy.
My heart will always have a special place for all of you.
Thanks for passing by and thanks for your sharing your tribute too.
You did a great job with the tribute. I am honoring Nancy
Carole Farley and Jeffrey J. Shaw. Please stop by.
Very nicely done. I don't know Harry or Victor Wald but I saw a reconstruction video documentry of them trying to escape from the north tower. Well done.
I recently acted in a play at school, devised by us for our GCSE exam. We based it on the events of sept 11th. After watching the reconstruction of Harry and Victor's last moments, their story inspired us greatly and we incorporated some of it into our piece. I had not heard of them before, but now i will never forget them. there story is so touching.
Thank you for remembering Harold.
I'm actually Victor's nephew (it's Wald and yes, that's a picture of him) and on this 6th anniversary of his death, we remember him and Harry. We pay great homage to Harry and the Ramos family for giving the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate gift: death and friendship.
Thank you and great job by the guy who wrote this!
`oye my Dude am still here, another day with the humans. know you having fun up there with the angels. the type of fun you know how to have. we miss your laughtr, your charm, your jokes and stories you used to tell us at the table while eating. `i know many wanted to be `el presidente` , but in my mind and my heart you will be `the only el presidente`. my son Tyler is just turning six now and he saw me reading my shorts left on your site and other stories from Adam and others and tears came to my eyes like the other times too. He always asks me , `'papi why are your eyes all wet`'… funny, but i told him like before, i am shedding a ton of tears for a great cause. the loss of one of the greatest people to walk besides me and to tell me `never say NO to someone asking for help`, `i never do`. Each 911 i remember what we are missing by not having you here with us. I know your family misses you a great deal since I do and my other friends do too. Your friend from NJ has to feel so lucky about not taking that job at KANTOR FITZGERALD as she was and you told her not too. A friend I worked with at TD was not so fortunate. One of these days we all will be together and hold the biggest party, off course you'll know evryone up there as usual, i mean the biggest party with you being the host of hosts. Dude, as I called you, hasta luego. Con carino y mucha tristesa me duele decirte adios otra vez, pero no para siempre, solo por ahora. `ok Dude.`
awe inspiring…
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