Twenty-three years ago, the 9/11 attacks changed the U.S. forever. In remembering the fallen, some first responders look beyond the grief — they find inspiration in the heroism people showed in adversity.
According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum website, 2,977 people died and thousands were injured across the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania, attacks. Over 400 of those deaths were first responders.
Arlington Police Sgt. Alex Rosado was a high school sophomore when 9/11 happened. When he heard the news from his wrestling coach, he couldn't grasp the magnitude. He thought it was a small plane that had hit the towers. It wasn’t until his school started wheeling TVs into every classroom that he understood.
“We realized, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re under attack as a country,’” Rosado said.
The event left everyone on edge, he said. His parents were lieutenant colonels in the United States Air Force, recalling his mom being deployed to Kosovo when he was younger. At the time, he was worried his parents would have to leave again.
His mom briefly worked at the Pentagon in Washington, as well, and hearing that another plane went down in Pennsylvania was a shock.
“The country as a whole was just completely overcome by this tragedy,” he said. “I mean, you couldn’t turn on a TV or a radio station and hear music or see TV shows you were expecting to see. It was all coverage on 9/11.”
After getting a business degree at UTA, Rosado ended up in law enforcement. While his memories of 9/11 didn’t directly drive him to the profession, they continue to occupy his mind as he entered the next chapter of his life.
“I remember hearing the stories of the police officers and firefighters that died when the buildings collapsed,” Rosado said. “That sacrifice they made, the heroism they showed, certainly came to my mind.”
Having promised himself to never forget the tragedy, Rosado honors the memory every year by volunteering at the Dallas 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb since 2014. The event recognizes the fallen first responders of 9/11 by having officers walk up a 110-flight staircase while wearing the names and biographies of those who died.
He said while the news cycle may move on from the tragedy, he made it a point to never do so. The more Rosado learned about 9/11, the more he wanted to “keep the memory alive.”
“To me, one of the things that I remember is in the weeks after 9/11,” Rosado said. “How the country seemed to come together a little bit.”
9/11 impacted first responder communities in various ways, and Rosado said the heroes who died that day gave people something to live up to. Those in the profession ponder if they could also be that brave.
“Many of those officers and firefighters and EMS personnel went into that building understanding that the likelihood of them coming out was low, but there were people that were trapped and it was their job to go up there and at least try to get them out,” he said. “They’re their only hope.”
From a tactical perspective, Rosado said the country still exhibits lessons learned from 9/11. Communication between firefighters and police is crucial and when hosting events at locations like AT&T Stadium. Every first responder knows to be on the same page.
UTA Police Capt. Mike McCord said in an email that while shock and sadness were his immediate feelings after 9/11, he always remembers how the country united despite calamity.
As a first responder, McCord said 9/11 highlighted a significant change in policing. The prospect of terrorism within our country was a much more realized threat that had to be addressed. On a personal level, he said the event changed his situational awareness.
“9/11 has impacted many areas in which UTA [Police Department] serves our community, including preparation for special events, community partnerships and collaboration, utilization of physical security measures [and] information sharing,” McCord said.
Rosado said 9/11 taught the country to always respect their neighbors.
“We may not agree. That’s just the nature of the country we live in and that’s okay,” he said. “But I think we have to remember that we’re all neighbors. We’re a community, and it’s important that we don’t lose sight of that, despite political differences or religious differences.”
@PMalkomes
