Bob Ossler

On September 11, 2001, terrorists rammed fully fueled commercial airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City destroying the Twin Towers and murdering almost 3000 people. Bob Ossler, then Chicago firefighter, paramedic, and ordained chaplain responded to the call to assist with pastoral care for families and friends of victims, search and recovery workers, construction workers, and volunteers. He spent approximately 45 days at Ground Zero, in blocks of a week or two at a time, whenever he could be away from his regular job.

Now on the fifteenth anniversary of the 9-11, Ossler's Triumph Over Terror describes the intimate interactions he had with the victims’ families, the rescue and recovery, workers, emergency service workers (firefighters, polices, EMTs, and others at Ground Zero; how he coped with significant stressors himself in the years after the attacks; and how God helped him maintain a firm foundation through his struggles.

Fascinated with ambulances and emergency medical services in his childhood years, Ossler joined the U.S. Air Force after high school graduation and served as x-ray technician first, then sought out emergency medical technician training. After attending a life-changing spiritual retreat while in the military, Ossler struggled with conflicting life goals. His interest in medicine pulled him one way; his new found faith pulled him another. Working with youth in a local church satisfied one desire; advanced training as an emergency medical technician prepared him for the second.

But Ossler didn’t stop there. EMTs provide for medical needs at fires, but his observations of firefighters at work confirmed the need for spiritual support for firefighters and victims alike. He then completed firefighter training, earned his certification in 1990, and joined the Chicago Fire Department. Over the years, seventeen in all, Ossler enrolled in part-time Bible study classes becoming an ordained chaplain in 1999. He joined the nearby Melrose Park Fire Department as a part-time volunteer chaplain while employed as firefighter in Chicago.

The year 2001 brought great challenges for Ossler. In the course of sharing God’s comfort with those suffering emotional and spiritual crises as a result of the 9-11 attacks, Ossler experienced his own post-traumatic stress. The lessons he learned about himself refined his soul’s purpose; compelling interactions with suffering people reshaped his destiny; and faith in God kept him steady. After 2001, his life goal, now laser focused, led him to pursue a part-time pastorate of a floundering church near Chicago. Later he pastored in Mayer, Arizona.

In 2005, Ossler served as a chaplain in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and in 2013 he served at the Yarnell, Arizona wildfires which killed nineteen specially trained firefighters, the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

Now Pastor of Visitation at the Cumberland County Community Church in Millville, N.J., Ossler rides as volunteer chaplain with Millville police officers to accidents and fires to comfort victims and offer prayer with their families and friends.

Married to Susan for thirty-three years, Ossler has three daughters, Noelle, Michelle, and Heather, and two grandchildren. His faithful three-legged Chihuahua, Maya, hobbles after him almost everywhere he goes at home and in the church offices.

Ossler’s mission statement is “Leading people to Christ is my soul priority.” If you spend any time at all with him, you will hear him say, “I will pray for anyone, anywhere, anytime, and for any reason.” Bob lives out his faith in everyday life. Many people testify to the fact that Bob loves to pray with people.

Ossler joined a writers critique group in May of 2015, and group members challenged him to write out his story. After several failed attempts, he enlisted the aid of Janice Hall Heck, a co-leader of the critique group and a mentor to Christian writers. Triumph Over Terror is the result of their joint efforts.

Ossler can be found on Facebook at Bob Ossler Chaplain, on Twitter @BobOssler_chap. Bob is available for speaking at your event. You may contact him at bobossler@yahoo.com.