Photo Courtesy of TSA
Ssiller has worked exclusively with Inspector Neeson, who is adopting the dog to keep as a pet in his retirement.
By Forum Staff
After serving as a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) explosives detection canine for the past six years at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Ssiller, a 7-year-old black Labrador Retriever is This past weekend, he turned in his badge and gets to spend the rest of his days at home “just being a dog” instead of getting up for work every morning.
Ssiller was named after Stephen G. Siller, a Brooklyn firefighter who, on September 11, 2001, skipped out of a family golf outing to head into Manhattan when he got the news of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Siller drove his personal vehicle to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped on his gear and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others.
TSA canines named for those who gave their lives on 9/11 carry the two initials of the deceased to begin their names.
The canine retired on September 25, the same day of the annual Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk in New York City and the dog and his handler, Transportation Security Inspector Christopher Neeson, started the race, which retraces the firefighter’s footsteps from the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel) to the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001.
Ssiller has worked exclusively with Neeson, who is adopting the dog to keep as a pet in his retirement. Neeson will heading off to San Antonio Texas for 12 weeks where he will train with with a new canine partner at TSA’s National Canine Training. After the completion of training the pair will return to start their work together at JFK.
“Ssiller has been an ideal partner,” Neeson said. “It’s going to be a big change for him in retirement, one that he deserves for so many years of service to the mission. I imagine he’ll miss working in the airport.” In honor and appreciation for his work as a TSA explosives detection canine, Ssiller and Neeson were presented with a plaque at the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk.
Ssiller was recognized for his “immeasurable contributions, untiring spirit and faithful service to the mission of protecting our nation’s transportation systems and dedicated service to our country.”
