During Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's speech to Congress -- marking the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty -- she told the story of an old fire helmet.
This portion of Prime Minister Gillard's speech begins at the 3 minute mark in the above video
A 1930s-era FDNY helmet was given to Firefighter Kevin Dowdell by his father, who also was a firefighter.
When members of Australia's Terrorist Response Group came to New York in 1998 to train for the Sydney Olympics, Dowdell and 15 other firefighters from Rescue 1 signed and gifted the helmet to Warwick Penrose, who served as captain and troop commander of the group at the 2000 games, according to The Gympie Times.
Dowdell and other members from Rescue 1 were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Upon learning Firefighter Rob Frey from Gympie -- a town in Queensland, Australia -- was selected to take part in the International Tour of Duty Memorial Run across the U.S. last year, Penrose presented him with the helmet to take back to the U.S. to return to the families of the fallen firefighters who signed it.
While in the U.S., Frey met Dowdell's son, James, who took part in the run with him.
Before the run began, he presented the helmet to Dowdell and his mother, Rose Ellen. Dowdell took the helmet with him for the run.
Frey and Dowdell stood side-by-side in front of Congress after their story was told and received a standing ovation.
