I start off sunny, nice and warm.
What started as a clear day
turned to darkness at 846 the
morning of September 11th.
2001
I remember hearing the
over the plane hit building. I'm like what
are you talking about?
New York Police and firefighters
raced to Ground Zero when two
planes hit the twin towers.
Second,
I took photo of part of the engine
of the plane. One of the tires
on my route going towards Ground Zero.
I've never seen those photos.
You don't see me.
Nobody's ever seen those photos.
These retired NYPD officers
had different roles that day.
I was a Sergeant with the New
York City Police Department,
Gus Cabarcas,
New York City police Sergeant.
Detective
Robert Angel retired NYPD.
Chris Pyer police officer.
New York City Police Department retired.
None of them knew each other,
but tragedy united them.
Yeah, it's definitely something
that brings us all together,
that's for sure.
They now all live in North Texas and
20 years after 911 or friend of mine
who's a he was a police officer.
He took pictures that day.
They sat down to talk to
us and share pictures.
Have you seen this before
taken at Ground Zero?
What did you see when you first walk up?
I've described it to people as kind of like.
Being in a snowstorm because it was just
all this dust and particles flying around.
Chris Meyer arrived at Ground Zero
after the second tower had fallen.
Jet fuel burning had concrete burning.
You name it all the different office supply.
Everything was just on fire.
One of his most vivid memories
is the fire truck he found buried
in the rubble. We found the door
of fire truck and then we started
locating remains there. I mean,
I was just like a shot in the gut.
Lieutenant, Rolando Pastrana says the
most heart wrenching moment for him.
Came when he heard officer Maurice Smith.
Over the police scanner and I just
remember screaming over Radio 1013.
I'm stuck. I can't get out.
She was trapped when the second tower fell.
She's like I'm in a building.
I'm in a building but you didn't
know where to begin and then
the transmission just stopped.
Sergeant 'cause Cabarcas LED a team
of officers in search of survivors
basically on our hands and knees every day.
He says they sifted through
the debris looking for remains.
If it was personal property
and put it in one bucket.
If it was human remains you
would take those buckets.
You turned all that stuff in.
After those ships they had to walk
past family members holding up
posters of their missing loved ones.
They come up to you ask, hey,
have you seen my son?
I miss you, my husband.
And we knew that there was
no one alive down there.
2023 and 23 NYPD officers died
that day. Crazy, the department
says that more than 15 hundreds have
died from illnesses like cancer and
lung damage from what they inhaled.
I got asthma. I got scarred lungs, sleep
apnea. It's always
on the back of my mind,
heard many times it's not a matter
of if but when so mostly and it
doesn't stop at the physical scarring.
There was a point, you know,
it was really bad for me.
He just keeps stuffing it down and
everything is great. Everything is fine.
Nothing to worry about.
It just overwhelms you after awhile.
Reach out for help. Get it.
No, officer Meyer says he suffers from
PTSD and has struggled with depression.
Reach out for help because it's
their people will help you and
you'll make it through that darkness
and come out the other side.
But now they gather
every year. Was it time to remember,
along with dozens of other
former NYPD officers?
But we have that unique bond to remember.
We're very fortunate that we're still here,
and no matter what happens
in life in the kitchen,
you can never take away the title.
New York City police officer.
I'm Rebecca Lopez.