ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. — While 20 years have passed since the terror attacks on September 11, memories of that day are never distant for the first, first responders.
Five hijackers crashed American Airlines flight 77 into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. Within minutes, firefighters from the Arlington County Fire Department were on scene. The county’s fire department was the lead agency responding to the disaster.
Before the crash, Captain Fred Kawatsky -- a rookie firefighter at the time -- was cleaning firetrucks at a nearby firehouse.
“This was my first, pretty much real, real fire," Kawatsky said. "At that point in my career, I don’t even think I had seen a house fire."
Deputy Chief Mike Gowen was doing routine physical fitness training on the field at a school in Rosslyn when he got the call.
“We didn’t even know what was going on," he said. "We had no idea that anything had gone into the World Trade Center."
They eventually heard the radio calls, "All units responding over to the Pentagon, you need to be careful. Possible terrorist attack. Plane into the building."
While Kawatsky and Gowen were heading to the scene, Jaleel Davis was off from work and watching everything unfold on television.
“I said, I should go to work," Davis remembers.
Davis had to get his gear from the firehouse, but then get a ride to the Pentagon because all other firefighters were on scene.
“Going from viewing it on television to actually being there was sort of surreal,” Davis said. “I saw body and plane parts everywhere."
Kawatsky still gets emotional when talking about that day.
“It was a senseless act of violence that didn’t need to take place," he said.
Some of the firefighters were assigned to enter the Pentagon and search for survivors. That effort was halted several times by word of a second plane heading toward Washington.
“There were different times when we would get notice a second plane was coming and everyone would take off running,” Davis recalls.
What they saw beyond the thick, black smoke was unimaginable.
“I vividly remember, like, to the left, it would be a desk with a coffee mug with coffee still in it, papers still stacked," Davis said. "Just to the right of it, total devastation, floor collapsed."
One hundred twenty-five people were killed in the Pentagon, along with 64 passengers and crew on Flight 77.
“I remember seeing individuals who had no injuries to them at all, appeared to have no injuries whatsoever, and they perished,” Kawatsky said.“I knew there was nothing I could do for those people at the time. I guess just pray to God their family had some type of assurance they did not suffer.”
Gowen vividly remembers watching people post pictures of their loved ones on a bulletin board near South Gate Road, hoping for some closure.
“I don’t think at the time, I could have managed to see one of those people on the board that I had seen in the building," he said. "I think I’ve put it comfortably away where it needs to be put and dealt with it. Initially, after the event, I didn’t do very many of the ceremonies."
While they’ve tried to block out a lot of what they saw inside, these firefighters take pride in their response and the events of that day reinforced their resolve to serve.
Gowen said he’ll never forget reaching his mother and father by phone, hours after the attack.
“My dad said 'we’re very proud of you,'" Gowen said. "That is like gold man. You don’t get better than that. I was honored to be at work that day."
Roughly 70 firefighters who responded on September 11 are still with the department today.