01x03 - 10:15 AM September 11 - 7:45 AM September 12

[bunniefuu]

[flowing water]

There's not a day
gone by in 25 years,

that I haven't
thought about 9/11.

Them people, they gave
their lives that day.

This is all the
guys from Rescue 5.

One time I went through
all their names,



I knew them by first name,


So, but one person became a
very important part of my story.

John D'Allara.

I was with him in
his last moments.

He told me something
just before he died.

Now his boys have grown up I
need to tell them what happened

between me and
their dad that day.

It's something I
feel I need to do.

[♪ dramatic orchestral
music playing]

[♪ dramatic orchestral
music playing]

[♪ dramatic orchestral
music playing]

[helicopter rotors]

It's gone, the whole tower.

It's gone. Holy crap.

They knocked the whole
fricken thing down.

[reporter] This is the most
horrific t*rror1st attack in

the history of
the United States.

Just moments ago one
of the World Trade Center

towers collapsed, it is gone.

[reporter] The huge question
is what has happened to the

people inside those buildings,

how many of them had a
chance to get out before the

South Tower collapsed.

-Everybody alright?
-Yeah, I'm okay.

I'd been guiding people down
the stairs in the North Tower,

when the South Tower came down.

[spit]

I always compare
it to eight subway cars

coming into the
station at the same time.

Wow.

-Yeah I'm right here.
-Alright come on down this way.

I was a firefighter
with Rescue 5.

Ever since a young age I
always wanted to be a fireman,

working in the Big Apple,
being in the rescue.

They're the elite of
the fire department.

There's no one else coming,
you're the last one they call.

So you have to get the job done.

You gotta find a way.

How's the way out of here?

I was trying to
evacuate civilians,

there were dozens of people,
but we were all trapped.

-The door's completely blocked.
-What's going on?

And I tried the doors and
the doors seemed blocked or

jammed or whatever,
couldn't get them open.

It was impossible
because they were metal doors

so there was no way out.

Right here!

I remember my flashlight
shining up the stairwell and

everybody on that
staircase just looking down

at that light, at me.

[laughs]

I remember
for a second, I thought,

"Oh boy, you gotta do
something here, you're the one."

[overlapping chatter]

[Bill] I remember just
feeling so much pressure

“How we gonna get outa here?”

Why don't you guys drive,
let's go.

Just run, man run, get...

[sirens blaring]

[reporter] The New York City
Fire Department is issuing a

call for a total recall of all
officers and fire fighters,

you should all report to your
companies again if you are a

New York City firefighter,
drop what you're doing,

report to your company.

A major disaster is occurring
in New York City this morning.

I was retired for nine
months before 9/11.

I retired from Rescue 5.

My dad was a fireman,
my brother was a fireman,

so the fire department is
legendary in my family.

I was about an hour outside
the city and I stopped to

get fuel and there was a,

a fella with his
binoculars leaning over the,

the roof of his car and I says,

"What's going on" and he goes

"Oh a plane had
hit the World Trade Center."

I put on you know the news
and they were saying like,

oh we want uh,

any off duty firemen to
report to their firehouse,

then it went to
any retired firemen,

I was going in anyway
no matter what.

Let's go, let's go.

[overlapping radio chatter]

[sirens]

From the helicopter it
was like flying into hell.

It looked like something
out of a nuclear holocaust type

movie um, what are we
getting ourselves into?

I had been a police officer
for 15 years,

we would do everything
from hostage rescue to

people threatening
to jump from heights.

I had no idea I was gonna
be involved in one of the

greatest rescues in the
history of New York City.

The rescue of John McLoughlin.

There was dozens of people
involved in my rescue

but John and Scott
saved my life.

I was a sergeant for the port
authority of New York and

New Jersey Police Department.

I was at the police desk at the
Trade Center moments before the

first tower collapsed.

I remember they had
the camera there.

[phones ringing]

[overlapping chatter]

That's me, that's me,
yeah, that's me

gearing up to go out, yep.

Putting a flashlight
over my shoulder.

By then I had a plan in mind,
get equipment, get a team,

and get upstairs
to rescue people.

Five of us took off that day...

but three of us never came back.

Right after that life as I
know it completely changed.

[overlapping chatter]

[muffled chatter]

After the first collapse,
there was this dead silence.

We were trapped in
a void below ground,

somewhere in between building
one and building two.

And um you know,
you know I was stuck

where I was and I,
but I couldn't get myself

out and I'm buried up
to my shoulder, and my hip,

hips and legs are
covered in debris.

I can't even move my head
because my helmet's stuck.

So I call for everybody
to sound off your name,

Will Jimeno and Dominick Pezulo
were the only two

that sounded off.

So, I'm assuming the
other guys from my team

they're still alive,
just separated from us.

We were taking a beating
from the smoke and the heat

from the flames
because everything

underground was on fire.

And I said at that point we're,
we're screwed.

-Move. Move it back!
-Move it, come on!

Move it, move, let's go, move!

Go up here to a firefighter.

Go, go!
Keep your head down, head down.

[overlapping chatter]

What's happened, what floor?

-Go to the top of the escalator.
-Top of the escalator?

[Bill] I'm at the bottom
of the North Tower with

all these civilians.

Guys come back down.

[Bill] No matter what I did I
couldn't get those doors open.

I realized I need help.

So I started giving it
"Mayday, mayday," you know.

Uh, and I realized my
radio wasn't transmitting with

that right away.

And with that, right after that,

two emergency service cops
are coming down the stairs,

not only were they cops,
they were ESU cops,

they knew what they were doing.

They say to me like,
"What's up?"

you know, you know,

"What's, what's
happening?" Like...

and I remember
telling them ah I said the

doors are jammed,

we got all these people
in the staircase.

[overlapping shouts].

And I remember saying we
can share this responsibility

of getting these
people out of here.

Another way over there.

[Bill] And the one cop,

him and I, we just
started running and

hitting that door, taking turns.

Take three, four steps back,
run and hit that door,

taking turns, both of us
barreling into that door and

each time getting it
open a little bit.

And when he got that door open,
it was great because people

began getting out of there and
they're leaving the building

and then it's not too
long after that the

emergency service cop,

he came over to me and I
remember reading his name

on his shirt and I
picked that right off.

His name was John D'Allara.

And we just began talking.

I said where do you work,

and he said ESU 2 up in Harlem,

he said what about
yourself and I said Rescue 5

on Staten Island.

Now those are probably
the two opposite ends of the

New York City as you
can get and I remember,

I remember telling him,

"We've come a long way to,
to work here together,"

you know, and he goes,
"Yeah, we have," and he says,

"What are we doing
getting along like this."

I remember telling him,

"I guess it takes the
World Trade Center

to come down...

[cries]

"for us to work together."

Out of nowhere, he says to me,
“My wife’s name is Carol.”

I said, “My wife’s name
is Cynthia.”

He said, “I have a son,
seven years old”, I said,

“I have a boy six years old.”

He said he had another
son two years old.

I said, “I have a
son two months old.”

And that's when I
thought too I guess,

thinking about it,

that if anything was
to happen to him or I,

he'd be able to tell my wife
and boys that I was thinking

about them to the very end
and I can relay that message

on to his wife,

and his kids.

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

[Chuckles emotionally]

His dream was to
be a police officer.

He was drawn to helping others.

That day John had to be at
work at 7:15 for roll call.

We made it a point, um,
to always say "I love you"

before he left.

So I kissed him goodbye.

And I remember our son Nicholas
was watching Sesame Street and

then my brother-in-law called
and he's like turn on the news.

[reporter] We are talking
about massive casualties here

at the moment and we.

[Carol] As I was watching,

it took me a few minutes
to even understand that this

was happening in real life.

So I knew John would be
there because a tragedy like

that would be all hands on deck.

And I was worried in case
something happened to him.

If he didn't come
back how would I raise

our kids without their dad?

They need their dad.

[reporter] Why are they
pulling us out of here?

[officer] Because
the tower is leaning,

The North Tower is leaning.

[reporter] About 15
floors down from the top

It looks like it's totally
glowing red... on the inside.

I don't think this has
too much longer to go.

I would evacuate all
people within the area of

that second building.

[Bill] I don't
know the exact time,

but everything went quiet.

So quiet.

It was eerie.

Somebody said,

"And I think we gotta get
out of this building now."

And I remember I pointed
right back to him,

I said "I think you're right."

And I just yelled down the
hallways' is anyone up here?"

and there seemed like
there was no one left.

I said, "Just lead
the way, I'll follow.

We go together you know."

John D'Allara, he ran first,
and then he looked up, he said,

"It's safe, everybody run,"

and we all ran out
of the North Tower.

We weren't outta that
building 30 seconds,

and I hear it coming down,

a collapse coming on top of us.

[rumble]

[air pressure releasing]

[metal thud]

[wind and pelting debris]

I curled up in a ball, and
I started getting buried.

And I remember I had to
stick my finger in my mouth

to create an airway
so I can breathe.

[coughing]

[Bill] And I remember
looking around.

I know deep inside I
knew John was gone.

I tried to think how
long we were together,

John D'Allara and I.

Maybe 25 minutes,

working together and in
that short time I listened

and I learned,
about him bringing up two boys

and seemingly doing a great job.

[cries]

It was so powerful.

I'll never forget our
conversation that day.

A few years after 9/11 I met
Carol for lunch and I told her

the story of John's last
moments but I always wanted to

tell his kids what
we had been through.

They were too young back then,
but now they're adults and

it feels like it's
the right time.

I don't have a whole lot
of memories of my dad...

so I'm looking forward
to meeting Mr. Spade.

To hear what he remembers
from those final hours of

my dad being alive.

Whatever he can recall,
that helps add to the memory

of my dad.

-Hey. Hi.
-Hi, how you doing? Nick?

Yeah.

How you doing,
nice to meet you. Bill.

Thank you.

[♪ somber music playing]

So on 9/11 I
was working right outside a,

a stairs, a stairway,

Stairway C of the
North Tower evacuating people,

and then with that your dad
was coming down the stairs.

And I, I always say it
was um, like so casual,

it's okay, like "Hey,
what's up," you know.

That was it, he
said hey what's up.

I said I think we're
trapped in here,

so we got all these
people on the st,

you know on the staircase,

the door is jammed and
then uh him and I we'd take

three or four steps back
and run into that door and

then shoulder it you
know and we took turns doing it.

He, he'd run back, hit it, I'd
run back and we got it open a

little each time until we
got it about that much.

And then he led us all out,
he saved a lot of lives.

You know, like how great that
is to say, I saved a life.

Thank you.

I've never actually met
anyone that was, you know,

there with him on
his last moments,

so it really means a lot.

Thanks.

The hardest part of my
story is when your dad says,

"You know, my
wife's name is Carol,"

and I said,
"My wife's name is Cynthia"

and then he said
he had a seven year old,

I have a six year old.

And then he said he had a
two year old then I said I

have a two month old.

The big thing was I,

just to know that he
was thinking about yous

to the very end.

You know, that's the most
important thing, you know.

It was always on my mind that
I had to relay that information.

I think that was so good of you,

just to tell your story and
I really am very grateful

and I wanted my kids to hear it.

Thank you.

Uh, I think it takes
a lot of courage, because,

you know, people say
they’ll never forget,

and you're one of the people
who honored that promise.

So I appreciate that.

Have you heard from
anybody that I talk, I,

I give talks uh at the


I talk about your
dad all the time...

The alarms are going off.

It's where I lost
my friends and your dad.

It's their resting place.

So I feel at home there,
kind of and that's why I do it.

We appreciate that
uh that the story,

um that you carried
it on, so thank you.

[Bill] Do you feel like
your dad had an influence on

both of yous?

Yeah, yeah, definitely, um...

[Bill] Or was it
just your mother’s.

[John] Yeah, well, no it
was probably like, you know,

definitely service-based,
you know what I mean like,

dad’s like I, I’m going.

[Carol] John’s a marine
reservist and Nicholas is in

the police department following
in his father’s footsteps.

And are you in a precinct now?

Yeah, I'm in the 4-6
in the Bronx.

I picked to go there, yeah.

That was where John started too.

[Bill] Oh really?

-Yeah.
-Wow.

If you wanna pass
it around, I don't know.

[Carol] So I don't know
if you know,

like when an officer
dies in the line of duty,

they retire the badge.

And it can only go to his
children or his grandchildren.

So it's the same
one that John wore.

Very nice.

Your dad would be
very proud of you.

-Thank you, I appreciate that.
-Yeah.

So happy to see the two boys,

becoming the men that
their dad would be proud of.

Carol has done some great job.

Maybe that's why he talked so
strongly of her and his boys,

in those last moments.

My dad died
trying to help people.

That selflessness and
integrity is the legacy that

he left behind.

I'm very proud of him.

[Carol] This is for you,
this is John.

[Bill] Oh, thank you.
Thank you.

John, thank you for coming.
Thank you. Nick.

It was just wonderful,
I feel like I,

I got a lot off my chest that
I was able to maybe finish the

job I was supposed to do.

Thank you Carol.
Thank you so much.

[car departing]

[alarms blaring]

[alarms blaring]

-What you see?
-Everything, it's just...

chaos, it's just
chaos out here, it really is.

I saw the Twin Towers fall.

[alarms blaring]

[debris sifting]

After the second collapse,
couldn't see, couldn't hear.

I thought I had died.
I thought I'm dead.

Myself, Dominic and Will
are trapped below ground.

I can't see them but
their voices seem to come

from above me.

The second collapse brought
more debris down in on us,

but this debris was
bigger and heavier.

Now I'm not just stuck,

I'm pinned and being
crushed and my knees and hips,

the bones were just being
squished together and, um,

uh, it was a severe
amount of, of pain and

I realized at that point
that you know this is going to

be difficult to sustain for
any prolonged period of time.

Take any gear we can carry,
especially first aid stuff.

Okay?

[bystander] We saw
firefighters on their trucks,

really not even fully
dressed in their uniforms,

some had sneakers on,

they didn’t even
have all their garb on,

apparently they just
jumped on these trucks and

kept heading down town.

[♪ intense music playing]

[Busching] You could see
the smoke from all the fires

that were burning

and then as you got closer you
saw this enormous almost hole

where the buildings had been
and just complete destruction.

You were like wow,
this is unbelievable.

It was like, oh my God...

how we gonna find anybody
that was still alive.

[alarms blaring]

[Scott] I made my
way up to the pile.

[alarms blaring]

You know, it was
like a w*r scene.

It was just unimaginable.

Okay everybody if there's any
firefighters that want to work...

If you're with a company,
report to me,

If not, come over here and
we'll set you up with a company

We'll make
companies up, alright?

[Scott] You know there's a
window of opportunity in the

beginning when you can
find somebody alive,

you know that was our mission.

[overlapping radio chatter]

We just kept on
digging and digging.

Thank you.

[Scott] Going into this void,
going into that void,

digging down.

[metal creaking and moaning]

Guys would just like
work til they just drop and

rest wherever they are.

Get back up and go back in.

It's like a form of combat.

But it wasn't anything positive
coming out of the pile.

[McLoughlin] Will was screaming
hoping that somebody'll hear it,

come and get us.

I can't see him but I could
tell in the tone of his voice

that something really,
really is wrong with Dominic.

He got worse and worse and
worse and we could hear him

take his last breaths, and
uh it was just Will and I.

[cries and clears throat]

So uh, you know it, it,

it just added to
the desperation.

[sighs]

I had to, uh, survive cause, um,

uh, I was concerned
with the pain I was gonna...

[clears throat]

subject my family
to if I didn't survive.

How badly they would be hurt.

I needed to survive for them
more than anything else.

[reporter] As night
now falls on Manhattan,

the black smoke still
fills the skyline where

the Twin Towers used to stand.

And down below rescuers work
feverishly under arc lights

going through the rubble
in the search for survivors.

[reporter] We are hearing
from some folks who have been

in the scene

that they have heard
sounds that indicate there

might still be
survivors in there.

[Scott] It was about 11 at night
when one of the chiefs says,

"They got a port authority
cop that's trapped."

They had a, initial
rescue that was done with

Will Jimeno already.

So Will was out.

But John was deep and trapped.

They can hear his voice
down about 30 feet.

But they said, we can't
get him, you know,

so they want to know if we
can give them any assistance.

I'm like, yeah, you know,
Okay, let us in, boom,

and then we went in.

What is your location?

My job was to dig
every fricken pebble out of

this place to get him
out of there, you know?

So I had a tunnel in,
kept on going down, down,

past the fire and
then the smoke and you had

to dig and dig and dig,
deeper and deeper and deeper.

I remember when
people showed up at the

top of the hole,
the relief that that had.

There was hope.

I'm laying there and I
hear a conversation coming

through the rubble pile,
I can hear this discussion,

whoever it was,

was asking the right questions,

that's the type of person
you want down rescuing you.

All I knew was his
name was Scott.

I got to John, I said,
"Listen, I'm Scott Fox,

I'm from Rescue 5, I'm gonna
get you out of here, you know."

He was in like, an area the
size of, uh, a milk crate-like,

his head, and it was so
confined that we worked in a

line you know head to toe.

And I'm in there and I'm
shoving stuff through my crotch

and the guy behind
me is taking it,

and then as you get the
opening you get a little more,

you know, a little more,
a little more.

And then I was able to like,

get in there a little
more and work behind him

and work around him.
You hear...

[makes crashing noise]

and stuff is falling,
you know, you say like,

"Is the next piece I pull
out gonna just come down

on both of us?"

John was in a lot of pain
and dehydrated and, you know,

he was in a bad way.

I didn't want to come out,

I wanted to finish
but John says,

"Your, your, your arms,

you're not even moving
that much anymore,"

you know cause, you know,
I'm in there for hours,

you know?

Lieutenant John Keenen
behind me, he goes,

"Scott, come on man,
you're spent."

So I got relieved
by another team.

[Busching] Everybody knew
John was in a bad way.

Time was running out
to save his life.

Because I had paramedic
training I went in.

So, you would slide down a
I-beam, but they were like,

"Be careful, don't fall
off the I-beam cause there's

like a 70 foot drop."

So, as I'm going down
I'm wondering like,

why am I sliding,
almost like slipping.

It was the heat from
everything that was burning

underneath us was melting
the soles of your shoes,

so you were kind of just
sliding a little bit down.

When I got to the bottom it
was only a couple of feet high

at the end of that tunnel so to
speak uh was John Mcloughlin.

It was like oh my god this...

[laughs]

it was, I was never
more scared in my life

than I was at that minute.

Then I, I just looked at,
at John, the look of, uh,

pain on his, on his face and

I'm like, all right, all right,

there was no turning back
so I started an IV on the

top of his hand.

By the time John got
there I felt I was getting

very, very weak.

I was still in a lot of pain.

He wanted to give me morphine,
I said no,

I was afraid it might
put me out all together.

Then things got
considerably worse,

considerably worse.

A doctor had arrived and
said one of the things that

we have to work out
was if the rescuers say,

the scene is becoming unstable,

the patient is
becoming unstable,

or they just say that we,
we cannot get him out,

we're gonna have to perform
a double amputation.

So, I'm like, wow, you know,

"How are you gonna do that?"

He's like, "Well, I can't do it
by myself, and you're the only

other person here
with medical training."

I'm like, "Well, I, I was
never taught how to do that

or nothing and I really
don't want to do, do that,"

so he's like,

"Well, that's what
we might have to do,

so you start thinking about
what you can use in your bag to

keep him from
bleeding to death."

I said, "How are you
gonna get his legs off?"

and he says, uh,
"The cordless sawzall."

Normally it cuts through
metal or wood and I'm like,

"How are we gonna
get through this?"

I had not an inkling
that they were thinking about

amputating my legs.

They're not explaining it to me,

which is a good thing
because ignorance is bliss.

What I don't know is you
know probably better for me.

[Busching] That
fueled me with the desire

to motivate everybody,

like you've gotta
give this your all this is what

they're talking about doing.

Nobody wanted to
see that happen.

We knew we had to
find another way.

[♪ somber music playing]

[reporter] It's the morning
after and New Yorkers

discovered that yesterday's
nightmare is not one

they can awake from.

The city, the nation,

the world have been forever
changed by yesterday's events.

When I first got there he
was buried from his waist down,

and now he's mid-thigh,

now it's his knees,
now it's mid-calf.

So, we were seeing
progress was being made.

[McLoughlin] Eventually they
had gotten the debris off of me.

There was hope.

I knew we were good,
at that point,

I'm just gonna survive this.

[Busching] I was able to pull
him out and then put him into

the stokes basket
and then pass him up.

The next thing I knew,

I'm out,
and I just knew it was daylight.

Happiness overwhelms you,

that I can't believe it,
you know, I got out of this.

I was trapped for 22 hours.

[applause]

[reporter] Volunteers have
been working with rescue teams

for hours searching for
signs of life and finally

they did find a sign of life,

they worked to pull
Port Authority police sergeant

Mcloughlin from the rubble.

[McLoughlin] I remember
they passed me down the line

to the ambulance.

With everything I had left
I'm thanking the police and

firemen that I'm passing.

I looked around and
that's when I realized I'm

a very lucky person.

I survived, but John
and Scott also survived.

They entered that debris
field and then climbed down

into that hole,

where shifting debris
would immediately k*ll them,

they'd be done.

They knew they were putting
their lives on the line,

that to me was truly heroic.

I need to say thank you
to them for what they did.

[Scott] I want him to
know how important his

survival was to us.

Because John was
a beacon of hope.

It was a team effort and
you know I'm really doing

this so you know people
will never forget.

[Busching] I remember
I went to see him in the

hospital right afterwards,
he was uh still in a,

a coma and you know I
just went and saw him.

I'm like John you,
you, you gotta live.

You know he was in a coma
so I don't know whether he

could hear me or not but it,
and it was just me and him.

I'm like you've gotta live
because too many people did

crazy things to get you
to this point and now you,

you, you gotta do it.

I've seen John and I've
seen Scott over the years,

but this would be the first
time we've been all together

since 9/11.

There's a bond there
without a question.

[Scott] Hey John.

[laughs]

Nice to see you.
How you doing?

-Always good seeing you.
-Good seeing you.

Thanks for being here.

Yeah, I brought
you a little bourbon.

[laughs]

OK, well we
have some ready for you.

Yeah, how you doing, all right?

-Good, good.
-Here he comes.

[laughs]

-Hello, hello.
-John.

John, how are you?

Long-time, long-time
no see, too long.

-Too long.
-Great to see you.

Same here, same here.

Hello Scott,
good to see you too.

How you doing?

How's everything
man, how you been?

-Come on in guys.
-It's been a long time.

You look good.

-Thanks, you too.
-Go out in the back there.

Ah, you guys can grab
what you want, take a sip.

Cheers, good seeing you.

Good seeing you too.

[Busching] Who the hell
would have anticipated this



You guys showed
up out of nowhere.

Somebody was stuck and we,

we had to get him out, you know.

Yeah.

[Busching] When
I got down there.

I remember I said,

“Are you married,
do you have kids?”

And you're like,
“Yeah, I have four kids.”

I'm like, “You sure you want
us to get you out?”

[John M. laughs]

And you just looked
at me like, "Really?"

[Scott laughs]

I'm like, all right,
all right, all right.

I had no clue the
extent of what happened.

I went in to help people,
you guys went in,

in an environment that
you risked your lives,

there was a difference.

[clears throat and cries]

You were risking your
life just to be on that,

that debris pile and continued
through that and kept on going.

Yeah.

And your contribution
and your contribution, uh,

allowed me to get out of there
and live the life I've had.

[cheering and applause]

I got to see my kids grow up.

I got to be at my
daughter's wedding.

I got to meet my grandchildren.

I thank you both.

You're welcome. Listen.

-How do you, how...
-You lived.

How do you thank
people like you...

You lived.

To do what you did?

[Busching] You
lived a good life.

That's how you thank us.

You lived a good life and
you got to be with your family.

It worked out great and I
couldn't be more proud of you.

It was an honor to have
been part of John's rescue.

When push comes to shove
we weren't leaving,

he was coming out or we
were all staying there.

[Scott] You're one of the
happy things that came out

of 9/11 because everything
else was sad, you know?

You got to enjoy your life
with your kids, your grandkids,

you know?

Yeah.

John and Scott symbolize
the best of humanity,

those that would sacrifice
themselves to save the life of

another human being.

I always tell people it
isn't me, it's we, you know,

and the heroes of that day are
the guys that never made it out.

We're representative of
our departments that died

to help other people.

Plain and simple.

Yeah.

[♪ somber music playing]

That's why we're here today...

[sniffs]

hopefully generations
will see this and remember,

you know, John?

-Guys.
-Here's to John.

-Alright, here’s to you guys.
-Thanks for coming.

Yep.

[♪ somber music playing]