01x02 - 9:07 AM - 10:15 AM

[bunniefuu]

Now, I wanna give
you a little warning

before it happens,

but I'm gonna tell you
right now that I suffered

from retrograde amnesia
from the events that take place

that I'm gonna tell you about.

So there's not a lot
going on in there.

Just picture,

like when you see those,
in those movies,

those little montage flashbacks.

Right.

So 9/11 starts for me,
I’m in the firehouse.

I remember hearing
distinctly a...

[imitates radio sound]

"a plane in the uh,
the North Tower."

I'm going, “Oh my gosh.”

[radio] On our location now.

I see heavy smoke coming
from the building of the

World Trade Center.

[Kevin] I remember we
had uh a TV in the kitchen,

and you could see
there was another plane in

the South Tower.

I’m looking at the buildings,

but I’m also kinda
looking at the guys.

You could see it on their face,
that their eyes are there,

but their thoughts are,
are processing.

[♪ dramatic orchestral
music playing]

[♪ dramatic orchestral
music playing]

[automobile traffic]

[♪ somber music playing]

On that day, I was a paramedic.

My experience was
the firefighter, Kevin.

He was my only patient,
and I had to leave him.

It’s played on my
mind for 25 years.

I can’t believe I’m
going to see him again

for the first time
since that day.

[overlapping chatter]

[reporter] If you’re
just tuning in, uh,

you may not believe me
when I tell you this,

but planes have crashed
into both towers of the

World Trade Center this morning,

causing massive
explosions in both towers.

The FBI is uh looking at
reports that there was a plane

hijacking before the crashes.

If you’re a New York City
firefighter,

and you are off at this time,
you are requested to report to

duty at your station
house immediately.

Obviously, we need the
help here this morning.

I had just completed
my probationary period

for Ladder 35.

I immediately went up
to the officer's room,

knowing that I was gonna
be relieved, and saying,

“Sir, I know I’m off duty,

but I’d like to be
able to be on, on the rig.”

He says, “Listen, in
the truck we do not have an

extra seat for you,

so you need to get
in a different truck

with another team,
and meet up with us down there.”

I got excited.

It’s an adrenaline rush for us.

This could be the
fire of the century.

We go through lights,

going down the
West Side Highway.

Then that’s when I
see the two towers.

And it was quiet.
I mean, dead quiet,

except for the movement
of a guy writing a

number on his leg,

and that was his
social security number,

so in case his body
was found that they

would identify him.

And as we got closer and closer,

it’s starting to sink in.

[sirens approaching]

That morning, I
got my lights on.

Typical of a paramedic,
my first thought was,

“I wanna be there.”

As a native New Yorker,
the Twin Towers meant home.

I was a paramedic
in New York City in

the 80s and 90s,

I knew I can operate under
some pretty tough situations.

But that morning, I’ll
never forget that drive.

Cars pulled over.

People were gawking on
the sides of the highway.

That’s when I saw it.

Wow.

All those people trapped
on those upper floors.

You start going through
the math in your mind.

The scope of casualties.

[sirens blaring]

It was then someone said
this was a t*rror1st attack.

That plays on your
psyche as well.

I had no clue, no one did.

This was going to
get a lot worse.

[reporter] A second jet,
a fairly large plane,

flying over the south end...

[Craig] I worked
at the Pentagon...

[reporter]...and
deliberately fly directly...

[Craig] ...everybody was worried
about what was happening.

All of us were watching TV
when the second plane hit

the World Trade Center.

[reporter] ...just
a big gaping hole,

and there's flames and
smoke have been pouring out

since it happened.

Monday was my first day at work,

and then the next day
was September 11th.

I was a Navy SEAL.

I was in the first
Gulf w*r as a Frogman.

You get punched in the face.

It’s like, okay,
now bring it on.

It was an honor to
serve in the Pentagon.

At that time, I
had a great life.

I was married to the guy
who I met in the army,

and we had two girls.

That morning, I was
in this conference room

on the second floor,
where there are no windows.

We had no idea what’s
going on in the world right now

because all of our focus and
attention is on this meeting.

[applause]

Ladies and gentlemen,
this is a difficult

moment for America.

I was watching
George Bush on the television.

Two airplanes have crashed
into the World Trade Center

in an apparent
t*rror1st attack on our country.

He basically said,
"God Bless the victims...

[both] ...their
families and America."

Thank you very much.

Took a step to his right,
started to step off the podium,

and that’s when the plane
hit the building.

[plane approaching]

[expl*si*n]

[alarm blaring]

[Marilyn] Immediately,
the lights went out.

I had no time to think.

Get back! Get back! Get back!

[reporter] It would
appear that there has been

another major expl*si*n.

There is smoke pouring
out the Pentagon.

You’re trying to figure out,
what, what is, what is going on?

[sirens and alarms]

A fireball had come
across the top of my head,

and my bangs on my hair
were singed off the top.

I knew I had to
get out of there.

So, I went to the closest
door that I knew could

get me to an exit.

I grabbed the
handle on that door,

and it burnt my hand.

And as I looked under the door,

I could see flames.

And that’s when
it came to my mind,

“Oh my God,
this building is on fire.”

I knew there was a
window that I can get to

on that second floor.

That was my goal.

You couldn’t see anything.

And as I start crawling,
someone grabbed me,

and I said,

“Who is this?”

And she said,
“It’s Lois.”

And I said, “Okay, Lois.”

And I could hear it in
her voice; she was scared.

And I told her,
“Hold on to me.”

So, she grabbed my waistband,

my belt, and we
started to crawl.

And I know I crawled
over someone.

As we crawled along,
Lois said, “Colonel,

I can’t go any further.

I, I, my knees are on fire.”

She had on a skirt with nylons,
and she said,

“I just can’t do this anymore.”

And I said, “Lois, just,
just get on my back.

I’ll carry you.”

She got on my back,
not knowing there were

five people behind me
in this chain of crawling.

So, we get to this window...

and...

the window wouldn’t open.

There are five people behind me,

and I brought them
to this window.

I knew in my mind
that we were gonna die,

and this is my fault.

[helicopter rotors]

[reporter] A major disaster
is unfolding in New York City

this morning.

The destruction here is massive.

The gaping hole in the sides
of uh both of these buildings.

Rescue crews are uh making
their way to the scene.

[reporter] The FBI is
investigating reports that

there was a hijacking of
an American Airlines 767

out of Boston,

and additional air report that
a plane has crashed into

the Pentagon this morning.

West Wing of the White
House has been evacuated.

President Bush was not there
when all of this occurred.

[overlapping chatter]

I get to what they
call the staging area,

which is really kinda
close to the building.

[fireman] 8-6-5, 2-6-2.

[Kevin] Other officers and
other firefighters all in

this staging area.

When those guys run out of
air or when someone gets hurt,

you’re in next.

I’m looking around,
but I can’t find my team.

Where’s Ladder 35?

It was my job to
try to find them.

So, I went to the board,
and I ask the battalion aid,

um, “Where’s Ladder 35?” Right.

He says, “Ladder 35
is in the South Tower.”

“Okay.”

-I understand...
-He's with emergency management.

[sirens]

[Kevin] So I entered
the South Tower,

looking for the team.

I start to go up,
and I’m looking up,

and I’m going,
this is pitch black.

I don’t know which
direction they went.

[♪ somber music playing]

[♪ somber music playing]

[Al] The atmosphere
was very, very serious.

That’s 30 somewhat floors.

They asked me, “Can
you run forward triage,

at the uh South Tower Marriott?”

I said, “Sure.”

I rolled into action.

So I’m running towards
the South Tower.

When you get that
close to the building,

you couldn’t see
what was happening.

I had no idea that the
buildings were going to fall.

[reporter] We have a report
now from the White House,

there’s a security alert there.

[reporter] The West Wing of the
White House has been evacuated.

[reporter] All of this, of
course, adds to the tension,

uh, adds to the fear.

[reporter] Sirens are going
off around this city like you

cannot believe,
and just over here,

something I have never seen,

military jets are
now patrolling the skies

over Washington, D.C.

[reporter] As we
look at pictures of

the Pentagon right now,

we are looking at thick smoke,

where apparently a large
airliner has crashed

into that building as well.

[Marilyn] We knew we
couldn’t break the windowpane,

cause it’s b*mb-proof.

So our thought was if
we bang on the frame of

this window enough,
it will give.

We start kicking
it with our feet.

The window popped open.

So, the smoke just started
billowing out of the room.

After the plane
hit the building,

you could see the fire
coming down this way.

I’d been in combat,

so this wasn’t the
first time I’d been in

something like this.

I’m thinking, I wanna try to
help as many people as I can.

There’s all these people
milling around a dumpster,

looking up, and
there’s one window open

and smoke’s billowing out,
and it’s a black, dirty smoke,

and about 20 lips all
sticking out the window,

trying to suck in air.

You can tell they’re desperate;
they wanna get out.

People were trying to stack
other things on top of the

dumpster, trying to build
up something high enough

so the people could get out.

I’m not really in
leadership by committee,

I just walk in and said,

“This isn’t gonna work.
Push that out.”

And I told ‘em, “Jump!”

They’re saying,
“Is he really serious?”

And it’s like, “Yeah, he is.”

I just couldn’t believe that,
but there was no other way out.

I could see he looked
like a big guy,

so that gave me a little
more confidence that, okay,

he can catch me.

[Craig] I had
everybody circle around,

and we were gonna
try to do the fireman catch,

where everybody puts their arm,

and everybody falls
in the middle of it.

So they started jumping.

One at a time.

We lowered a lady
down to these people.

She was like,
“Colonel, I can’t do this.”

We say the second floor,
but it’s more like the

fourth floor in a
regular building.

And she looked me
in the eyes like,

“I can’t, I can’t let go.
I can’t let go.”

And I’m like,
“You’ve gotta, you have to.”

And so now I’m getting angry,

and she’s gripping my fingers,

and I’m peeling her fingers off.

But she fell out of the
window, her arms flying.

As she jumps out,
everybody kinda steps back,

and I caught her,
and it was like, pfft,

“Oh, this is easy, next.”

Now it left my colonel
and I in the window.

But my mind was still telling
me there were others in there.

He said, “Marilyn, it’s
time to get down,” and I said,

“Sir, wait, wait,
let’s try, let’s try.”

And he said, “This is
my last time telling you,

it’s time to get out of
this window.”

I’ve had many decisions,
many orders in the army,

that was probably the only
one that I did not wanna obey.

People below had made a
human ladder of themselves.

I turned backwards,

and I started to climb down
out of the window.

And then the,

I called it a human ladder;
it collapsed,

and I fell into the
arms of a navy officer.

He’s like, “I got you.
I, I got you.

You’re okay now.”

And that was the last words
I can remember for a while.

[Craig] After I caught her,
she collapsed.

They were giving her CPR.

They had a gurney, put her
on that, and took her away.

And I never saw her after that.

[♪ somber music playing]

[Marilyn] 25 years since 9/11.

Here I am, going,

“Why me,
why am I still alive?”

But I’m thankful,

and I’m grateful to
Craig for saving my life.

But I never saw him
or heard of him again.

I want to know who
is he, you know,

and how has 9/11
changed his life.

And I would just absolutely
love to thank him,

more than anything else.

Is this Craig?

How are you?

Good to see you, yeah.

Oh my God, look at you.

You’re still tall.
Please have a seat here.

-Thanks, how have you been?
-I’m, I’m doing well.

Your story of why
were you in that area?

Why were you at
that that alleyway?

[laughs]

I’d only been in the
Pentagon for two days,

so I didn’t know my
way around, right?

Really?

We, yeah, oh yeah.

So, after the
plane hit the building,

I go out and...

Okay, so you came
into AE Alley there.

Yeah. That’s what it’s called,
AE Alley?

Yeah...

-Okay.
-AE Alley.

I’d never been there before,
right, and I’m looking up,

and then I’m looking
up, billows of smoke.

Yeah, exactly.

And, you know, I was
telling you guys, to jump,

but it was like,

“You go.” “No, you go.”
“No, I’m in charge, you go.”

He was basically
telling you to get your

a*s out first.

So, you all could
hear that down there?

Yeah, oh yeah.

I just knew there were
more people in there.

[Craig] Yeah.

And I kept debating, if
you will, with a colonel,

you know what that’s like.

Yeah.

He’s like, “Right
now you have an order,

get out of the window.”

Yeah.

And there you
were with the cradle,

and you caught me.

That is just mind-blowing.

I’m here now because
now I can see the world,

‘cause you caught me.

I can now see my grandchildren,
because you caught me.

It’s something I can’t
put words together to say,

but the smallest thing
I can say is thank you.

It's almost a privilege
or a luck that I was in the

right place at the right time.

I get to be the
person to catch you.

I'm lucky...

[Marilyn] Yeah.

It’s fortunate,
that’s my pleasure.

You were there when you
were supposed to be there,

to help me.

I appreciate the
credit for that,

but if you hadn’t lead
those people to the window.

I caught those people,

but she got ‘em out
to that area and got help,

so you know,
collectively all these people

are alive because
of what Marilyn did.

Before September 11th,
for lack of better words,

I didn’t really cry.

I’m a badass frogman,
so I have no emotions.

I can shut ‘em down,

it doesn’t matter,
whatever, you know, and

ever since September 11th,

even now if I, if
I go down that road,

it’s like oh whoops,
whoops, let’s, let’s get those

emotions in check.

My biggest word that I’ve
used since 9/11 is resilience.

How did I bounce back
from this tragic day?

I had to show my girls and
generations of girls to come,

even though you will go
through terrible things in life,

you can do this.

And now my oldest daughter
is a Mom who’s married now with

three of my grandchildren.

And life is so wonderful.

And that’s because of what
Craig did on that day.

Man, this is, it is, it
is so good to see you.

[Craig] So, and you...

And to put some
of this together.

That bond will always be
there between the two of us.

Yeah. But...

-You know, a snapshot in time.
-Yes.

-But so impactful.
-Oh, without a doubt.

Say, let me come here.

Thank you, thank you
very much, thank you.

-Absolutely.
-No, it's, it's thank you...

-I appreciate it.
-for what you did.

[reporter] The President
is calling this an,

a t*rror1st attack.

City firefighters are being
called into battle the fires

at the towers.

They’re calling
it a total recall.

[reporter] The only thing
that we can uh a-assume here is

that uh they were both
suicide flights going in.

There’s uh unconfirmed
word that even a third plane

was on its way here.

[reporter] No one, clearly,
knows what to expect next.

[Kevin] I’m in the South Tower,

but I still
can’t find Ladder 35.

Where are they?

And as I’m pondering,

I see jet fuel had
spewed out of the

building and onto vehicles,

and there were a couple
of other guys that were

also separated from their group.

And they saw me looking
around, and they says,

“Why don’t we team up and
we can do operations outside?”

We’re right by the South Tower,

we’re like right underneath it.

And that’s the last
thing I remember.

I gotta tell you,
it was eerily quiet.

I expected people pouring
out of the building.

That was not what we
were experiencing.

And I walked into the
South Tower Marriott lobby.

I’m at the doorway...

and the loudest sound,

the loudest sound
I’ve ever heard.

[rumbling]

[rumbling]

I ran as fast as I could.

[rumbling]

[panic screams]

And I, did I giggle out loud,

but I thought I’d
laughed out loud,

that I couldn’t believe
this is how I was going to die.

Help, help me!

Help, help!

[reporter] Uh, a situation that
uh started bad just gets worse

and worse and worse.

The World Trade Center South
Tower has totally collapsed.

[radio chatter]

[Al] It was really dark.

[coughing]

[radio] May Day. May Day.

[Al] I thought I, I’d
fallen underground.

It was searing hot.

I could not catch a breath.

-You with me?
-Yeah.

[Al] I, I could start to
see the lighting change.

It’s hard to breathe.

[piercing alarm]

[Al] And all I hear is alarms.

And it’s loud, it’s piercing.

[piercing alarm]

It’s awfully sad
knowing what that is.

[piercing alarm]

So firefighters have uh
motion sensor alarms.

If they’re not moving for
a certain amount of time,

they activate.

I climbed over the debris field.

I heard voices.

Someone pointed to
this person on the floor.

He was covered.

This, this person was covered.

You, if you didn’t know to,

to see him there, I,
I may have missed him, Kevin.

I thought he was dead.

But incredibly, he was alive.

[Kevin] Some of the things
I remember was me,

like right underneath
the South Tower,

seeing the debris coming down.

And I remember getting
lifted at one point,

and then coming crashing down,

and I propped myself
for the moment,

and don’t remember much
of anything else after that.

But this is the moment
that I was told Al Kim

found my body.

[Al] My focus now is on taking
care of this firefighter, Kevin.

Instinct, I mean, now
you’re a paramedic again.

There was no doubt
Kevin was hurt, seriously.

I went into one of the
burning ambulances.

I was in salvage mode.

I remember grabbing
the backboard,

got down to his side,
and put a collar on him.

But you feel helpless because
you wanna get him to hospital.

But there’s no way to do that.

The ambulances are over
my shoulder, on fire.

We gotta get him out of here.

This was in harm’s
way, where we were.

[reporter] Big concern
now from the scene that

the North Tower,

the one remaining
standing, is buckling.

So the very next decision was,
“What do we do with him?”

And I remember someone
pointing to a parking garage.

It felt like a good
place for him to be.

Whatever’s better than
now is, is where you go to.

So we carried him.

I remember going into
the parking garage,

and there were a bunch
of people, civilians,

huddled in this parking garage.

One of them, a woman,
identified herself as a

physician, said,
“I’ll look out for him.

I’ll, I’ll take care of him.”

Um, I said, “Okay.”

And I exited.

I was looking for more patients,
more firefighters, more Kevins,

but I didn’t find anyone
else alive,

um, except Kevin.

He was my one and only
patient that I had.

I don’t know the
entirety of Kevin’s story

‘cause I had left him
in the parking garage.

And I still don’t know,
to this day, how, who,

what got him to a hospital,

what were his
long-term injuries.

I wanna know what his
recovery’s been like.

[Kevin] I do remember when
I woke up in the hospital,

they said they were concerned
I had multiple fractures.

They had said if,
for any reason,

that if your head tilted
more than 45 degrees,

you would have been
a quadriplegic.

It was definitely a
miracle that I survived.

I don’t remember
much about 9/11,

and Al Kim can fill the gaps.

All I know is he put himself
at risk to rescue me.

I’d like to say
thank you, first of all,

because he saved my life.

Oh.

Kevin?

How’s it going, bro? Hi.

-Come on, there.
-You look good.

-Yeah, yeah.
-You’re fit?

Yeah.

Come on, man.

-Okay.
-After you.

[Al] This is unbelievable.

All those thousands dead,

I had one patient,
it was you, man.

Wow.

I see someone pointing
towards a body.

-Okay, a body?
-Okay, a body.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Right, and so, it's you.

See, that's how...

[Kevin] Yeah.

That's how you were, you know.

You looked pretty,
pretty terrible.

Yeah.

You were conscious,
but you didn’t talk.

You couldn’t verbalize, man.

Okay, okay.

And um so I pulled things
out a burning ambulance.

-Okay.
-I get you on a backboard,

I put a collar on you,
and I gave you water.

-Okay.
-But you know where I left you?

Where?

The bottom line is I’d
left you in a parking garage

with no electricity.

[Kevin] Ahh.

Okay, with a strange woman
who told me she’s a doctor.

For 25 years, seriously...

[Kevin] Mm-hm.

This is, this is
the absolute truth,

I felt bad about it, man,

I felt bad that I
left you in that hole, um,

'cause that's not the job,
you know, yeah.

I feel very grateful
‘cause I’m alive.

Thank you.

I’m so grateful
that you were there.

I mean, you’re the one
that had the skillset.

Ah, that’s, that
means a lot, man.

Do you know which
vertebrae you had the...

-Four, five, and six.
-So you fractured, or?

Yeah, multiple fractures
in four, five, and six.

In C4, 5 and 6?

Yeah, yeah, that's
why they were saying you

were very, very lucky.

'Cause they told me
that if you didn't...

[Al] Yeah.

Put the brace on...

[Al] Well.

They said I would
have been a quadriplegic.

Well, we don't know, but
that's a, that's a, it's a...

-Right, right.
-possibility.

[Kevin] I’m so glad
to finally meet Al Kim.

When he told me that story,
not only is it good for him,

but it also fills in
the, the many gaps I have

from that moment.

I remember waking
up in the hospital.

On the 12th they,
they woke, I woke up.

-Oh, the next day?
-Oh yeah.

And I’m going,
“What’s going on?”

I had lost all the
guys in my firehouse.

Ladder 35 did not survive.

-That’s terrible.
-I felt so guilty.

I was like a ghost
in the firehouse.

I mean, everyone
died, but not me.

So I would tell
people the story.

I mean, if people
asked me, they say,

“Oh, you know it
must be tough for you.”

-Yeah.
-Like you know, uh, “I’m okay.”

After 9/11, I retired
from the fire service,

built my dream home,

and then I started a new life
with my partner, Versha.

I will never forget my brothers
from Ladder 35 that made the

supreme sacrifice on that day.

To see Kevin was an
important moment for me.

I didn’t know about his friends
and what happened to them;

he was the only survivor,

but it makes it even more
poignant that, that he is.

Hey, oh, man.

-Thanks, man.
-This is great, man.

He had his own
demons and, you know,

long-term effects to deal with,

but I guess the answer
is we have a responsibility

to those who didn’t make
it to make a good life

out of what we have.

You get a second chance,

live life, you know, live it.

That’s what I would say.

[reporter] It looks
like it's totally glowing red...

on the inside

[reporter]
It’s inevitable

Get out of the area.
The second tower is coming down.

[reporter] They tell you
the second tower is going?

Yes, it’s about to collapse.

I said, “We go together,
we stay together,

we make decisions together.”

Out of nowhere, he says to me,

“My wife’s name is Carol.”

Almost like we were writing
our own obituaries at the time.

[officer] Be advised, the
North Tower is down.

All personnel be advised,
the North Tower is down.

I always wanted to tell his
family what we had been through.

Kath.

Gosh, thank you for being here.

My job was to dig every
fricking pebble out of this

place to get him
out of there, you know.

When push comes to shove,
he was coming out,

or we were all staying there.

-They’re heroes.
-I mean, it’s really that simple.

Good to see you.

Hey, John.

[♪ somber music playing].