By Debbi Baker
The San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO — This Sunday, the country will pause to remember the fateful September day when jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as another, which was headed for the U.S. Capital, crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on 9/11/2001 and, of those, 411 were emergency workers.
They were remembered Wednesday in a solemn ceremony to honor the brave men and women who got up that morning, kissed their loved ones goodbye and never returned home.
The First Responders Memorial was held on the downtown concourse where Mayor Kevin Faulconer, police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Brian Fennessy and other dignitaries gathered to remember those who ran toward the danger as others ran away.
One of those people was New York Fire Department Lt. Joe Torillo.
Torillo almost died in the attack when the buildings collapsed and he was covered in a pile of steel and concrete rubble. He suffered fractures to his skull, neck and spine, and had internal injuries. “I was buried in the darkness,” he said.
Torillo said he could hear others yelling in the debris. The screams turned to crying, then to whimpers and then finally gave way to silence.
“One by one they all died,” he said. “And I was still alive.” He was finally dug out by rescuers who could hear the beeping of his firefighter oxygen equipment. Taken to a boat on the Hudson River he heard them saying that he could die.
Torillo, now retired, had started out that day heading to a press conference where a Fisher-Price action figure that he helped design was going to be unveiled. Called “Billy Blazes,” the toy was made to represent a New York City firefighter. The figure sported a big bushy mustache, just like Torillo’s.
But he ended up racing to his firehouse instead, where he ditched the dress uniform and grabbed that of another firefighter who was off that day.
When doctors later cut his clothes off at the hospital he was admitted under that man’s name. Torillo said he was listed as dead for three days until the mistake was discovered.
Survivor’s guilt followed. Torillo said he questioned why God did not let him go to heaven with his fellow firefighters. He thought maybe he wasn’t good enough.
Now, he believes he was saved for a reason, so he could tell the others’ stories to make sure a grateful nation will never forget.
And he said, he feels like that rescue figure Billy Blazes, come to life.
Chief Fennessy told Torillo and the assembled crowd: “On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose. We will never forget their sacrifice.”
Faulconer said there is no challenge too risky or too hard for first responders.
In the face of terrorism, they chose patriotism,” he said. “In the face of fear, they chose heroism.”
“We are lucky to have them,” the mayor said.
The ceremony ended with the display of a huge American flag that was unfurled by schoolchildren.
Torillo said the flag will travel to all 50 states as a reminder of the worst terror attack in U.S. history.
Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune