Don’t expect 9/11 victims compensation crusader John Feal to forget the title of the book he has coming out next year.
It’s tattooed on his right hand.
They are the words comedian and fellow crusader Jon Stewart told Feal after they successfully lobbied lawmakers to expand the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and healthcare bill in 2019.
“I will follow you anywhere,” Stewart told him.
The words stuck.
“I Will Follow You Anywhere: The True Story of the 9/11 Responders Who Took on Congress” features a foreword by Stewart, and tells the story — in their own words — of first responders who fought for important legislation despite feeling abandoned by their own government.
“They truly understand what it means to be patriots and give of themselves,” Feal said on Tuesday, in the days leading up to Thursday’s 9/11 anniversary. “If the lawmakers once again say they will never forget we’re going to make sure they never.forget.”
Publishers have timed the book’s 2026 release to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Feal said he expects commemorative tributes to reach a crescendo this time next year. But he said it’s important to remind New Yorkers and everyone else of the grief and suffering that still goes on every day of the year.
“If I had to die for this, I would,” Feals said of his commitment. “If death came knocking, I’d say, ‘What took you so long.?’”
Feal, a construction worker and demolition supervisor, rushed to Ground Zero to assist with the recovery and cleanup in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. Ninety-six hours later, his life was changed when an 8,000-pound beam crushed his left foot.
While recovering from a partial amputation, a doctor recommended he join a support group for 9/11 responders and survivors. The connection gave him a new purpose in life.
Feal watched his fellow responders suffer and die from cancer and other ailments caused by the dust in the air they believed was safe to breathe. He became their tireless advocate, fighting for government compensation.
Feal lobbied Congress to pass The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which he subsequently fought to defend and expand in 2015 and 2019 with the help of dozens of his fellow 9/11 responders, post-9/11 illness survivors, and Stewart.
The original bill was named for James Zagroda, the first cop whose death was attributed to a Ground Zero-related illness
The program now helps more than 137,000 members. It also includes those who were exposed at the 9/11 crash sites in Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon.
By his count, Zeal has made 385 trips to Washington, D.C. for more than 2,700 meetings over the last 22 years. In that same time, he has been to 213 funerals for people who have died in the years after 9/11.
“I feel selfish to keep asking these men and women to keep joining me on these trips,” Feal said. “They truly understand what it means to be patriots and give of themselves.”
Feal, who also runs his non-profit FealGood Foundation, said the book, written with Charles Daly, is more than a tribute to the first responders. It is a blueprint on how to get things done.
“Have endurance, have stamina. Don’t take no for an answer,” Feal said. “Be willing to make sacrifices.”
Feal also has a tattoo on his left hand from the title of a 2021 documentary that chronicles the same legislative journey.
It’s another mantra Feal lives by:
“No Responders Left Behind.”
