By Bill Beck
The Elkhart Truth
ELKHART, Ind. — Marcus Perez did not know he wanted to be a firefighter, but he knew at a very young age that he “just wanted to help others.”
Now a 30-year-old firefighter for the city of Elkhart, Perez has lived half his life since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Many of his peers — high schoolers in September 2001 — share a unique view of the tragedy’s history and impact as it’s remembered today, the 15th anniversary of the attacks.
“When the call came in, I was in Mr. Ong’s classroom and we were taking the ISTEP,” said Perez, a Central High School student at the time who now works out of Station 7 near the Elkhart Municipal Airport on C.R. 6. “And I remember him coming in, the look on his face. We were all looking at him puzzled because of the way he was looking at us. It was just like a blank stare.”
Fifteen years later, Perez knows his path to public safety wasn’t completely out of the realm.
“At an early age, back in grade school, everybody would go around and ask what you wanted to be when you grow up,” Perez said. “I never specifically thought of being a firefighter or athlete ... my aim was just helping people. That’s a broad statement, but I just wanted to help others.”
“That day, it didn’t make me automatically hit a switch and want to be a firefighter, but clearly I wouldn’t think it would be that far-fetched.”
I wanted to help people
The emotion was that much more intense for Matt Kulis, with ties even as a high schooler to firefighting.
Kulis, 32, an eight-year veteran of the Elkhart force, was a 17-year-old high school senior and a volunteer fireman when 9/11 occurred.
So was his father and many of his father’s friends.
“When it happened, I came home between classes and my dad, he was home. He had the day off,” Kulis said. “He told me to come in and sit down and to watch. This is important. We ended up watching the rest of it. Not a word was said. It was jaw-dropping what was going on.”
The historic day placed a different apprehension and fear in Seth Skipper, 32, who today is stationed at Central Fire Station downtown, the site of a special Elkhart 9/11 memorial dedication today at 11:30 a.m. Skipper’s brothers, Cody and Beau, were in the U.S. Marine Corps in September 2001.
“My first thoughts were toward my older brothers, my family ... are they going to war?” Skipper said. “That’s where I first felt for the families. My mom is worrying, my dad is worrying. A lot of my memories were because of that from the military side.
“A lot of my family is in public service ... mom, aunts, cousins, all nurses.”
Once a worker in a recreational vehicle manufacturing plant, Skipper said he “wanted to do something more, I wanted to help people.”
Cody later joined the Elkhart Police Department and tried to recruit his younger brother to join him. Seth, who attended Memorial High, balked at police work, though Cody also noted that the fire department was hiring.
“I honestly wasn’t sure then,” Seth said, “but it will be three years in February.”
An even younger member of Central Station is Brandon Holt, 26 now and a student at Hawthorne Elementary when 9/11 unfolded.
It took years before Holt could fully grasp the gravity of the destruction, the loss of life and the impact on the world — and himself.
“As a kid you don’t fully understand, but as you get older, you start to get the magnitude. It was probably about the eighth grade,” said Holt, a Central graduate who attended Indiana University with the goal of becoming a doctor before that path was grounded. “It was not going the way I wanted to because of me,” he said.
After returning to Elkhart, Holt found out the fire department was hiring.
“It was the perfect blend of medicine and helping people,” said Holt, who has encouraged his younger brothers to sign on with the fire department. “You’ve got a group of guys here, the personalities ... they’re tough but they’re really caring.”
Reliving the loss of life
The inevitable stream of images of airliners plowing into the World Trade Center towers and tales of more than 400 public safety personnel losing their lives will fill cable channels, the internet and social media all weekend. It’s unavoidable, but each of the younger local firefighters say they will pay attention at some level.
They’ll study, remember and reflect on where they were and what they’ve become today.
“Obviously it will have a bigger impact on me now than it did before,” Holt said. “Now that I’m in the profession, I know exactly what they were dealing with and trying to accomplish when they went there.”
“It’s hard not to watch a little bit of it,” said Kulis. “To lose 343 firemen, that’s so huge, then between police officers and others, how many went there and helped. It showed a lot about who we are as people.”
“I don’t usually watch a lot of it, but I know I will ... it makes me feel for those families,” Skipper said. “How would my family feel? At any day that could be me. They’re doing what they love to do. It doesn’t seem that long ago.”
For Perez, it’s been especially tough in his stint on the fire department staff. He’s been on a number of fire runs and come across family members and friends in emergency situations.
Though there’s a job to be done, there’s an emotional toll.
“When they call us, they’re having the their absolute worst day. No matter how big or small, that person needs you,” Perez said. “I’ve known quite a bit of people when I go out. It’s a blessing and a curse. You don’t want to see family and friends in these types of situations.”
And on a day to reflect on 9/11, Perez will be there and be focused. His awareness of the history takes his appreciation and respect of all firefighters to a completely different level.
“I don’t mind seeing it ... it’s nice to have that reminder,” he said. “It’s not about reliving the loss of life ... that was a large group of people in an awful situation. They handled it so well.
“You can train and train, but you never train for anything on that large of a scale. I can’t fathom how they did it. You’re just doing it. You’re in that moment.”
Copyright 2016 The Elkhart Truth