Famous Silverado with a Ladder 5 sign is Definitely Chevy Tough

Were you asking yourself the same thing as me the other night … “What was that Silverado with a Ladder 5 sign on TV?”

As Americans, September 11th is a date that will forever be ingrained into our minds. If asked where they were and what they were doing at the time of the Twin Tower attacks, most of us would be able to describe everything in great detail.

If you were watching the Olympics last Monday, you would’ve seen a Chevy commercial featuring a pretty beat up Chevy Silverado with a Ladder 5 sign on the back. The pickup belongs to Craig Monahan, a member of the FDNY. He was off-duty at the time of the attacks, and got called in. He had 2 other firefighters with him as they drove in from Staten Island.

They parked the truck near the south tower, and watched both towers collapse. He then crawled into the rubble to find the 11 missing firefighters from his firehouse, Engine 24/Ladder 5. When he got back to his truck, he noticed the falling debris had landed very close to his front bumper. The front headlights were melted, and the steering wheel was beginning to as well. He reached into the truck and turned the key. It started right away. A wrecker cleared a path for Monahan to get out, and after changing a tire, he headed back to the station.

The nameplate from Ladder 5’s destroyed truck was fastened to the back of Craig’s truck, and they used the truck for the next few days to travel from the station to the Trade Center. Everyone on the streets cheered each time the truck drove by. 

When Chevrolet approached Monahan about using his truck for the Olympic ad, Craig was a little hesitant. He didn’t see any good coming out of making money off of a disaster. He did, however, think it would be great to remind the American public that even at our worst, we keep going and persevere. He agreed, and gave the check to a FDNY family.

On a side-note, Craig is still driving the Silverado with a Ladder 5 sign. Talk about a tough truck, and an even tougher man.