20 Years Later: Meet the Children Who Were Born After Their Fathers Died on 9/11

The children of 9/11 never knew their fathers, and yet in the face of unthinkable loss, they have shown us how life — and hope — carries on.

Beginning on Sept. 7, theMagnolia Networkwill be streamingRebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11, a documentary chronicling thepast two decades of four children, now 19 years old, who were born after their fathers died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning director Ellen Goosenberg Kent made the film, which follows the children as they near adulthood, leading up to the 20th anniversary this year.

“I find that I’m constantly reminding myself of the balance between grieving, but still moving on and moving forward,” says Nicole Gartenberg Pila in the film’s trailer.

She and her younger sister Jamie, 19, lost their father, Jim Gartenberg, who was killed in Tower 1.

The children not only share stories of their fathers' bravery, but also reflect on how they’ve found hope for the future and inspiration in the fathers they never met.

“I’d definitely like to follow in his footsteps, and leave an impact on people in a good way,” says Ronald Milam, Jr. whose father, Army Maj. Ronald Milam, was killed at the Pentagon.

“What happened to my dad,” says Alexa Smagala, whose father was firefighter Stan Smagala, “made me who I am today — and I want people to know that.”

Magnolia Network

Rebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11will debut on Magnolia Network on Tuesday, Sept. 7, streaming exclusively ondiscovery+and the Magnolia app.

source: people.com