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Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
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 Posted: 15-Aug-2006 15:27 Post subject: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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[Mods - the article is from Netscape, by way of Compuserve: only those with Compuserve or netscape accounts can read the article, so I'm posting it in full.]
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Mystery 9/11 Rescuer Reveals Himself
By DAVID B. CARUSO
NEW YORK (AP) - For years, authorities wondered about the identity of a U.S. Marine who appeared at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, helped find a pair of police officers buried in the rubble, then vanished.
Even the producers of the new film chronicling the rescue, "World Trade Center,'' couldn't locate the mystery serviceman, who had given his name only as Sgt. Thomas.
The puzzle was finally solved when one Jason Thomas, of Columbus, Ohio, saw a TV commercial for the new movie a few weeks ago as he relaxed on his couch.
His eyes widened as he saw two Marines with flashlights, hunting for survivors atop the smoldering ruins.
"That's us. That's me!'' thought Thomas, who lived in Long Island during the attacks and now works as an officer in Ohio's Supreme Court.
Thomas, 32, hesitantly re-emerged last week to recount the role he played in the rescue of Port Authority police officers Will Jimeno and Sgt. John McLoughlin, who were entombed beneath 20 feet of debris when the twin towers collapsed.
Back in New York to speak of his experience and visit family, Thomas provided the AP with photographs of himself at ground zero. As further proof of his identity, the movie's producer, Michael Shamberg, said Thomas and Jimeno have spoken by phone and shared details only the two of them would know.
Thomas, who had been out of the Marine Corps about a year, was dropping his daughter off at his mother's Long Island home when she told him planes had struck the towers.
He retrieved his Marine uniform from his truck, sped to Manhattan and had just parked his car when one of the towers collapsed. Thomas ran toward the center of the ash cloud.
"Someone needed help. It didn't matter who,'' he said. "I didn't even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, 'My city is in need.'''
Thomas bumped into another ex-Marine, Staff Sgt. David Karnes, and the pair decided to search for survivors.
Carrying little more than flashlights and an infantryman's shovel, they climbed the mountain of debris, skirting dangerous crevasses and shards of red-hot metal, calling out "Is anyone down there? United States Marines!''
It was dark before they heard a response. The two crawled into a deep pit to find McLoughlin and Jimeno, injured but alive.
Jimeno would spend 13 hours in the pit before he was pulled free. Thomas stayed long enough to see him come up, but left due to exhaustion before McLoughlin, who remained pinned for another nine hours, was retrieved.
Thomas said he returned to ground zero every day for another 2 1/2 weeks to pitch in, then walked away and tried to forget.
"I didn't want to relive what took place that day,'' he said.
Shamberg said he apologized to Thomas for an inaccuracy in the film: Thomas is black, but the actor cast to portray him, William Mapother, is white. Filmmakers realized the mistake only after production had begun, Shamberg said.
Thomas laughed and gently chided the filmmakers, then politely declined to discuss it further. "I don't want to shed any negativity on what they were trying to show,'' he said.
As for his story, Thomas said he is gradually becoming more comfortable telling it.
"It's been like therapy,'' he said.
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
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chihawk
Clan Blood Spirit
Master Bartender
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 8081
Location: United States
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| Posted: 15-Aug-2006 15:43 Post subject: RE: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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Quote:
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On 2006-08-15 15:27, Kraken wrote:
[Mods - the article is from Netscape, by way of Compuserve: only those with Compuserve or netscape accounts can read the article, so I'm posting it in full.]
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We don't have a "don't post the full article" rule here just for reasons like that...
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www.210sportsblog.com
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Raven!
Clan Snow Raven
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1326
Location: United States
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| Posted: 15-Aug-2006 16:18 Post subject: RE: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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Neat story. My only story from 9/11 was when I was at college. I had seen the morning news and classes had been cancelled. My friend amy showed up at my door in tears cause her father was visiting the WTC to go to the homeoffice for his company. Thankfully he had been at the hotel when it all happened, but we didn't find that out till later.
Raven!
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DarkAdder
Clan Star Adder
Star Commander
Joined: 10-Jan-2004 00:00
Posts: 604
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| Posted: 16-Aug-2006 05:35 Post subject: RE: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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Ah, give him some slack, Chi. I think that this definitely qualifies as a story that needs to be told.
Interesting side note to the movie, though. Approximately 30% of people who went to 'opening night' or sneak previews, couldnt remember the year that 9/11 took place. And another 5% couldnt remember the date.
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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5791
Location: United States
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| Posted: 16-Aug-2006 06:09 Post subject: RE: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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chihawk was mearly stating that we do not have a rule saying you cannot post full articles BECAUSE we have people who cannot access the article for one reason or another. Otherwise, he was sayin it was ok.
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one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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DarkAdder
Clan Star Adder
Star Commander
Joined: 10-Jan-2004 00:00
Posts: 604
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| Posted: 16-Aug-2006 16:59 Post subject: RE: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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Ahh. My very bad. I posted that at about 3 am, or so, after working a hellacious closing shift. 
*invokes surkai*
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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
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AlexxKnight
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 11-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 787
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| Posted: 17-Aug-2006 01:56 Post subject: RE: Marine who assisted in 9/11 rescues identified. |
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Thanks for posting the article.
I saw the movie over the weekend when it opened hereon the base in Japan.
I'm glad they made the movie and went ahead and released it despite talk that it was too soon and all that.
An even more interesting side not to the movie, is that parts of it were filemed in my home town in J, and my favorite barbershop is featured promenently in the movie. THere is a excellent, although very quick shot of the center of town before it goes inside the barber shop.
_________________
Alexx Knight, Lance Sgt.
Command Company, Crimson Janissaries
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The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. . . And you
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