On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 terrorists killed thousands of people, and our entire world changed. But numerous first responders, religious leaders, and ordinary citizens stepped up to prove that courage and compassion were still very much alive.
The first certified casualty of that horrific day of terrorist attacks killing almost 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., was Fr. Mychal Judge. The Catholic priest and New York City Fire Department chaplain went straight to the scene of the terror attack on NYC’s World Trade Center, and was killed by falling debris as he was giving Last Rites to the dying. He died providing spiritual and material comfort to people suffering in the midst of hell. Like Christ, he was willing to die serving others.
Other religious leaders also came out to serve victims at the Pentagon and the Twin Towers. Fireman Robert Bartos recalled how clergy from multiple different denominations stopped him and his fellow firefighters to bless the remains of victims as they carried them away from the rubble. New Jersey Rabbi Ron Kaplan, who contracted cancer due to his efforts, ministered to 9/11 victims and responders for weeks afterwards. Over at the Pentagon, new priest Fr. Stephen McGraw was in his car on his way to a burial service when he saw the plane hit. He immediately rushed to minister to the dying. Unlike Fr. Judge, however, he survived.
Fire Marshal Ronald P. Bucca in NYC told his wife, “I’m going into that building.” He was trying to rescue people when the tower he was in collapsed. “When he was recovered, his turnout coat was found on a civilian next to a group of civilians by a staircase,” Mrs. Bucca recalled. All of his pockets were empty of supplies. He had done everything he could to help the victims.
At least 402 firemen contracted illnesses from their life-saving work on that unforgettable day and the following days. Some of them died.
As for FBI Special Agent Leonard W. Hatton, he was heading to work when he saw smoke rise from the North Tower. He was assisting firemen to evacuate people from the towers when the buildings’ collapse killed him.
Ron Pastino, a member of the New York State Police tactical unit, the Special Operations Response Team (SORT), remembered the nightmare of digging through a literal mountain of rubble for human remains. On one fallen beam, he found a driver’s license. “I picked it up and saw this woman’s face,” he recalled. “I didn’t know her, but I looked at that photo and said, ‘We are going to find you,’ and then, ‘I love you.’ And I meant it. To this day, I still do. I just know she didn’t make it out.”
For seven months, Ron and the SORT team were stationed at Ground Zero, alternating between the site and their homes. For the first 11 days, Ron wore the same clothes, too consumed by the mission to think about anything else.
For two decades after his work was done, Pastino did not return to the site of the terror attack, unable to bear the memories.
Not all the heroes that day wore first responder uniforms. The passengers and crew of Flight 93 thwarted the intended attack on the U.S. Capitol by forcing the hijacked plane down in Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Clark was a former Marine and executive chef at Fiduciary Trust Company International in the World Trade Center. Clark started to descend the tower after it was hit, but witnesses remember he stopped on every single floor to assist others. He “was last seen on the South Tower’s 88th floor with three other people assisting a woman in a wheelchair,” says the 9/11 Memorial. Unfortunately, Clark was killed when the building collapsed.
William Rodriguez was a maintenance worker who led firemen up and about in the World Trade Center, helping them rescue people. He was later given an award for helping save so many people by the Puerto Rican Senate.
Today, we remember all those who were killed on 9/11 and especially the heroes who, in the midst of deadly danger, worked to save lives and comfort the suffering.
Here at PJ Media, we honor patriots. Join PJ Media VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
