John Feal is a native New Yorker and Army veteran who worked as a demolition supervisor at Ground Zero until a disabling injury five days into the cleanup. He 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 comedian Jon Stewart. He has since gone on to pass 19 pieces of legislation and is working on number 20.
Through the FealGood Foundation, he continues to advocate for the health needs of first responders nationwide. A clip of his appearance on Fox News with Jon Stewart has gone viral. John has spoken at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Princeton University, and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Vanity Fair has covered his story along with NPR, The Daily Beast, The Wall Street Journal, all major news networks and many local affiliates nationwide, and two documentaries.
John is a Pat Tilman Foundation Honoree, a recipient of the New York State Liberty Award and the New York State Medal of Honor for Civilians, the Founder & Chairman of the 9/11 Responders Remembered Park, and a kidney donor.
Photo by Faye Murman
