Jimmy Cirrito Remembers 9/11

Jimmy Cirrito wasn’t always so optimistic.

Prior to Sept. 11 he dealt with frustrations in the same way as most. It was Sept. 11 that taught him to become a more enduring person.

“It woke me up,” Cirrito said. “It changed my entire attitude on life to where I kind of told myself, no matter what, I’m not going to complain.”

Cirrito said that day he decided that no matter what—if it’s 110-degres out, if he’s working 12 hours on no sleep, if he’s stuck in traffic—he’ll endure it because it’s nothing compared to what others went through on Sept. 11.

“That feeling has never gone away,” he said.

The owner of Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon, VA, Cirrito has had many family members, friends and employees in the military. His tavern has a large “God Bless America” banner outside—even though it’s against local zoning code.

Since Sept. 11, Cirrito has been a constant supporter of American troops and their families. He said he wants to keep Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern a place that Herndon and America can be proud of, a place for soldiers who are protecting his American dream to come back to.

This 9/11 profile is part of a project in which Patch's more than 850 editors across the country spoke to people in their communities about how 9/11 impacted them. There are 911 profiles as part of the project, creating a broad range of experiences and memories. To see them all, click here.