Q:  Why did you go?

A:  I felt an incredibly strong urge to be there.  This is our Pearl Harbor, our Arizona – such historical significance.  I had to lend a hand in some small way.

Q:  We all wanted to help.  But you went down there.

A:  In the Marine Corps, they taught us, "You can either lead, follow or get out of the way."

Q:  What was it like?

A:  There's an eeriness about the place, beyond surreal.  At first it was quiet, then you begin to hear the sound of hand tools.  The smells were incredibly pungent, the smoke, the smell of natural gas was all over – it was really frightening – and a kid was smoking.  There was paper everywhere – ankle deep – for five blocks around.  Graffiti everywhere – notes from firemen to their comrades.  "Rest in Peace, Charlie."  I saw the Lord's Prayer twice.

Q:  What did you do at the rescue site?

A:  It didn't take long to figure out how to make yourself useful.  There were lines of people – like a line of ants – passing buckets from hand to hand – a bucket brigade.  There were a couple of false alarms, everyone would get really excited – thinking they found someone alive – but then the doctors would check and it was a body.  There were voids, and you had to be really careful when walking on a beam.  If you fell, you could fall fifty feet.

All of a sudden they started blowing these loud horns on the fire trucks – I didn't know what it meant – we were told to get out and everyone started running.  It was a controlled stampede.

But the firefighters stayed because they thought they had found someone.

What had happened is the Millennium Hotel had shifted two degrees and they were afraid of another collapse.

After they blew the warning horn three times, I suddenly became aware of my mortality.  I took a last look.  There were shoes in the trees, family photos that were probably from the planes.

Q:  Any message for the rest of us?

A:  The most important thing – the incredible bravery of these guys.  I've never in my life seen such brave men – firemen, FBI agents, marshals.  I only had an inkling of what they do.  Now I have so much respect for them.  I can't say enough about what our country owes these men.  They're not interested in getting on TV.  There they were, covered by a layer of gray ash, just doing what they have to do.