©2001 The Record (Bergen County, N.J.). Thomas E. Franklin, Staff Photographer

Standing defiantly against the gray and white landscape of devastation, these dust-covered men and the vivid red, white, and blue of Old Glory instantly became a symbol of American patriotism. Franklin's photo of these three heroic rescuers -- Brooklyn-based firefighters George Johnson of Rockaway Beach, Dan McWilliams of Long Island, (both from Ladder 157), and Billy Eisengrein of Staten Island (Rescue 2) -- also became a global message that life, and America, would go on.

The photo, which appeared Sept. 12 in The Record, has since graced the pages of many other newspapers as well as national newsmagazines. Network television has repeatedly displayed the photo during its round-the-clock disaster coverage, comparing it to the famous image of Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.

Franklin, an eight-year veteran of The Record, took the photo late in the afternoon of Sept. 11, after spending hours at the scene. He was walking toward the debris of the World Trade Center when he spotted the firefighters.

"The shot immediately felt important to me," Franklin said. "It said something to me about the strength of the American people and about the courage of all the firefighters who, in the face of this horrible disaster, had a job to do in battling the unimaginable."

AWARDS
The photo has become an icon to the American public. Both the photographer and the newspaper are humbled and gratified that it has inspired the American public in the face of disaster. Because of its ability to touch so many so deeply, the photograph has received numerous awards. These include:

• 2001 NYC Headliners Club
  1st Place Spot News
  
  
• 2001 Sigma Delta Chi Award (SDX), by Society of Professional Journalists Photo of the Year, Spot News
  
  
• 2002 Clarion Award
  1st Place, Major News & Event Category
  
  
• 2002 International Association of Fire Fighters
  First Prize Media Awards Contest
  
  
• September 2001 Newseum Photojournalist of the Month
  http://www.newseum.org/photojournalist/archive/october01/index.htm
  
  
• September 2001 AP Member Showcase Photo of the Month
  Associated Press Managing Editor's Association
  
  
• September 2001 Knight-Ridder Photo of the Month
  
  
• October 2001 Editor & Publisher Photo of the Year
  Grand Prize Winner of Annual Photography Contest
  
  
• 2001 AP Member Showcase Photo of the Year
  Associated Press Managing Editor's Association
  
  
• 2001 National Headliners Club
  Best in Show / co-winner with David Handschuh
  
  
• POYi 2001 (Pictures of the Year International)
  Award of Excellence, Sept. 11th News Category
  
  
• NPPA 2001 Photos of The Year Contest
  First Place, Attack on America Feature Category
  
  
• NPPA 2001 Northern Short Course Contest
  First Place, 9/11 Feature Category
  
  
• SND 2001 Contest (Society for News Design)
  Award of Excellence, Attack on the U.S. Photos