Jacksonville FBI agent recalls responding to Pentagon on 9/11

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Americans retrieve the Sept. 11 attacks 20 years ago, an FBI cause present based successful Jacksonville is looking backmost astatine the attacks otherwise than most.

He’s 1 of respective FBI agents present successful Jacksonville who worked the violent attacks from the time they happened.

Sept. 11, 2001 successful Washington D.C., started with the bluest of skies. It was a blessed time for Special Agent Alex Silverstein. It was his 2nd time backmost astatine the FBI bureau successful the superior since his girl was born.

“Even today, 20 years later, particularly present successful Florida due to the fact that we person tons of wide bluish sky, I volition look up and I’ll look astatine the shadiness of the entity and deliberation that’s the shadiness of the entity connected Sept. 11,” Silverstein remembers.

Everything was nice. Until 8:46 a.m. erstwhile the archetypal commercialized airplane crashed into the World Trade Center successful New York City. FBI Washington was soon abuzz with what appeared to beryllium a horrific accident.

“And I turned connected the tv conscionable successful clip to spot the 2nd level hitting the building,” helium said. “And it was instantly nether it was instantly evident that the federation was nether attack.”

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Silverstein and his chap agents soon took the call: they were needed successful New York.

Until 9:37 a.m.

The attacks deed person to home. Those bluish skies were breached by heavy achromatic smoke. It was coming from the Pentagon.

“We ran down to the parking garage, I deliberation I threw connected overalls implicit my suit and we headed retired to the Pentagon,” helium recalled. “Lights and sirens, down nether the Third Street tunnel.”

The cardinal bid for the U.S. military, the office for the Department of Defense, had been hit.

“We pulled up and the gathering was connected fire,” Silverstein said. “The full broadside of the gathering was connected fire. We could spot plain parts laying successful the tract determination and portion we were determination we saw the extortion collapse, truthful we knew astatine that constituent that anybody who had not gotten retired already, they weren’t coming out. There is nary grooming for what I saw.”

Silverstein, an FBI medic, and chap agents knew what they had to do.

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At first, it was a hunt and rescue ngo but for the days and weeks after, it became a hunt and betterment mission. They spent agelong days picking done the rubble for grounds and, sadly, quality remains. It haunts Silverstein to this day.

“I wrote to their families conscionable to fto them cognize erstwhile their household members were recovered that they weren’t alone,” helium said. “And that we treated them with respect.”

A full of 184 radical perished astatine the Pentagon.

As tragic arsenic it was, helium knew helium was expected to beryllium determination to help.

“I wouldn’t privation to beryllium anyplace else,” helium said. “As unspeakable arsenic it was, I would not privation to beryllium anyplace else.”

Silverstein had nary clip to rest. Shortly aft wrapping up astatine the Pentagon, helium would analyse the anthrax attacks. It’s each portion of his acquisition for his presumption today: the Weapons of Mass Destruction coordinator. A occupation rubric that’s adjacent and beloved to his bosom due to the fact that helium doesn’t privation to spot an onslaught connected American ungraded ever again.

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FBI Jacksonville agents program to clasp a vigil successful beforehand of their office. They volition grant the lives mislaid during 9/11. Silverstein said respective agents person died from crab and different unwellness related to their vulnerability to elements astir the clang sites successful New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

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