{"id":44759,"date":"2021-09-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/how-sept-11-impacted-a-teacher-firefighter-soldier-and-first-responder-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:21:13","slug":"how-sept-11-impacted-a-teacher-firefighter-soldier-and-first-responder-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/how-sept-11-impacted-a-teacher-firefighter-soldier-and-first-responder-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"How Sept. 11 impacted a teacher, firefighter, soldier and first responder in Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Smoke
Smoke and steam fill the air in the west sector of the World Trade Centers site after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Jeff Dyar of Bayfield responded to ground zero two days after the attack. (Courtesy of Jeff Dyar)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Twenty years ago, life came to a virtual standstill as millions of Americans watched in awe and disbelief as four planes crashed: two in New York City, one in Washington, D.C., and a fourth in an open Pennsylvania field.<\/p>\n

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks killed almost 3,000 people. The event made a lasting impact on Americans far and wide, regardless of age, ethnicity or background. It altered people\u2019s sense of safety, sent American foreign policy into a new direction and caused the worst kind of grief for thousands of families.<\/p>\n

On the anniversary of Sept. 11, four Southwest Coloradans \u2013 a witness, a first responder, a soldier and a teacher \u2013 recalled the trauma and solidarity of the pivotal period in American history.<\/p>\n

But 20 years later, they also found themselves grappling with the impacts of two wars, a fleeting sense of solidarity and how future generations will remember the event.<\/p>\n

Matt Besecker, who now lives in Mancos, was walking near West 21st Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City just before 9 a.m. Sept. 11. He said he will never forget seeing papers flying through the air and the horror on people\u2019s faces after the attack on the Twin Towers.<\/p>\n

Trevor Peterson, who now lives in Pagosa Springs, was in a high school chemistry class the morning of Sept. 11. Two years later, in 2003, he joined the military and went to Iraq to fight the war on terror. He says it is important Americans never forget what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.<\/p>\n

Beau Brooks, now an Ignacio High School civics teacher, was listening to the radio in his car. He teaches a new generation of students \u2013 for whom heightened airport security is the norm \u2013 about how life changed after Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

Jeff Dyar, who now lives in Bayfield, was teaching about disaster scenarios at the National Fire Academy when the attacks occurred. Two days later, he arrived at the World Trade Center to help organize emergency operations. He still feels the health impacts of breathing asbestos and glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I talk about it, it\u2019s a little more cathartic,\u201c Dyar said.<\/p>\n

A firsthand witness<\/div>\n

\"Three
Three hundred and forty-four firefighters died when the Twin Towers collapsed Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City. Jeff Dyar of Bayfield traveled to ground zero to assist with emergency response operations. (Courtesy of Jeff Dyar)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Matt Besecker, then 32, was about 2\u00bd miles northeast of the World Trade Center heading to work at a photo printing lab.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t experience anything like what some people did, but I will definitely not forget,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He recalled it was a beautiful, cloudless day. When he got off his train to work, people were looking up and saying one of the towers had been hit.<\/p>\n

Taxis were stalled with their windows down and the radios playing, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could see fire engines flying down south on Fifth Avenue. People were just milling around,\u201d said Besecker, now 52 and working for the city of Durango as an arborist.<\/p>\n

At 8:45 a.m., the first plane struck the North Tower. Hundreds of people were killed instantly, with hundreds more trapped above the 91st floor. At 9:03 a.m., the second plane struck the South Tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy manager, Dave, and I watched that happen live. I can just remember the office paper fluttering around the tower after that explosion happened,\u201d Besecker said.<\/p>\n

At 9:37 a.m., the third plane hit the Pentagon, the home of the U.S. Department of Defense outside of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

Besecker\u2019s boss told him to go home. About 20 minutes later, as he was making his way back to Harlem, the South Tower fell.<\/p>\n

At 10:03 a.m., Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing 33 passengers and seven crew members. Recordings on the plane that are maintained by the 9\/11 Memorial and Museum<\/a> reveal how passengers interfered with the hijacking. The plane\u2019s intended destination is unknown.<\/p>\n

Hundreds more died when the North Tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people just had horror on their faces. People were screaming and crying and consoling each other,\u201d Besecker said. \u201cI probably watched people more than I watched the building. It was just crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The center of the debris pile in the west sector of the World Trade Centers site in New York City. (Courtesy of Jeff Dyar)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Around the country, people watched nonstop news coverage of the attacks.<\/p>\n

In La Plata County, residents tried to track down friends in Manhattan. At least three Durango locals, Susan Cross, Tom Tella and Paul Gasser, escaped from the World Trade Center after the attacks, according to past coverage in The Durango Herald<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The public would soon learn the terrorist attacks were carried out by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group, al-Qaida. The group, led by Osama bin Laden, was allegedly acting in retaliation<\/a> for America\u2019s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its military presence in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Durango Fire Department staff members watched the collapse of the second tower at the World Trade Center in \u201cdeafening silence,\u201d said Rick Szmajter, a fire district employee at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was (sic) a lot of first responders inside the building at the time. They were even broadcasting their radio communications up to that very moment,\u201d he said in an email to the Herald<\/em>. \u201cEveryone was pretty shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n

At ground zero<\/div>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Dyar of Bayfield helped lead emergency operations at ground zero after the attacks. First responders worked amid toxic smoke and dust for days on end wearing face masks or other personal protective equipment. Thousands are experiencing long-term health impacts. (Courtesy of Jeff Dyar)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jeff Dyar, then 46, arrived at the World Trade Center site on the morning of Sept. 13.<\/p>\n

When the towers fell, 344 firefighters, including leadership and special operations teams, were killed. Thousands of people self-dispatched to the site to help with the emergency response, but they did not have a command structure to guide their efforts.<\/p>\n

The National Fire Academy, as directed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sent several command experts to form the Type 1 Incident Management Team to support the emergency response. As chairman of the academy\u2019s emergency medical service program, Dyar joined the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I arrived there, there were about 10,000 emergency responders wandering around the event,\u201d said Dyar, now board president for the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District based in Bayfield.<\/p>\n

Dust and smoke from fires underneath the buildings hung in the air. He recalled a sound like the \u201ccacophony of crickets.\u201d Emergency response breathing apparatus, designed to make a chirping alarm as a safety feature, lay around the edges of the debris.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know there are thousands of people missing, but as we show up there are no people. There are no bodies, desks, phones or anything,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause of the intense heat, pressure and sheering forces when those buildings came down, it basically vaporized people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The National Fire Academy, as directed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sent several command experts to form the Type 1 Incident Management Team to support the emergency response. (Courtesy of Jeff Dyar)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Dyar spent three weeks at the site. For 18 hours a day, he focused on setting up operations centers and organizing resources.<\/p>\n

Twenty years later, Dyar said he has mostly dealt with the trauma of the event. But the impact of Sept. 11 is still heard in his voice. Emergency responders, wearing masks or other personal protective equipment, inhaled asbestos and glass fragments.<\/p>\n

Since then, about 81,000 first responders have enrolled in a federal health program tracking long-term, Sept. 11-related illnesses, like cancer and chronic rhinosinusitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Only one memory brought emotion to his voice: He recalled leaving the site at 11 p.m. and passing New Yorkers lined up on the side of the highway to support the first responders.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when I say it now, I get choked up about it. They had signs. They were cheering,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining the war on terror<\/div>\n

\"Soldiers
Soldiers in the U.S. Army, including Pagosa Springs veteran Trevor Peterson, dressed in gas masks to protect themselves from potential chemical weapons in Iraq at the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003. (Courtesy of Trevor Peterson, photo by Erik Vasquez)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Two years after the attacks, Trevor Peterson joined the U.S. Army infantry, motivated in part by Sept. 11. In March, he landed in Iraq expecting to face chemical weapons and 30% casualties.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought they had weapons of mass destruction, which I thought was a good reason to invade. \u2026 I was also really scared because I was brand new to the Army,\u201d said Peterson, now a 37-year-old firefighter living in Pagosa Springs.<\/p>\n

After he learned there were no weapons of mass destruction, he lost motivation, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just so unprepared. \u2026 We should have had at least two more Army divisions,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cWe were in Baghdad, it was just out of control. They were shooting and looting. All sorts of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back, Peterson said his experience in the military taught him about other cultures and to appreciate living in America. It can be worse in other places, he said. Americans should \u201calways remember\u201d Sept. 11, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like yesterday for sure. It seems like I was just getting deployed to Iraq,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been keeping busy and trying to make the most of my opportunities for sure. Because I know there\u2019s guys that have not been able to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"First
First responders in Durango, Farmington and other communities do an annual stair climb to commemorate those who died on Sept. 11. (Courtesy of Jeff Dyar)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Since Sept. 11, communities around the country annually commemorate the lives lost during the attacks. In Durango and Farmington, police and first responders annually hold memorial stair climbs.<\/p>\n

In Durango, Besecker said every year he and his friends from New York make a point to call each other on the anniversary. But he struggled to come to terms with the wars that resulted from the tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith everything that\u2019s going on in Afghanistan right now \u2026 the only thing I can think of is, why does the United States have to be the world police?\u201d Besecker said, referring to the controversial U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the recent return of the Taliban to power. \u201cWe\u2019ve got enough problems here in this country that we need to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dyar remembered the nation coming together after the Sept. 11 attacks. Everyone put an American flag out. The solidarity didn\u2019t last, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of anger, but I did not see division amongst people,\u201d he said. \u201cI was hoping we would\u2019ve had the same solidarity behind our pandemic, but in fact, we\u2019re very divided. \u2026 I\u2019m surprised, and I\u2019m saddened, that it (the solidarity) didn\u2019t follow us into other catastrophic events we\u2019ve had since then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teaching a new generation<\/div>\n

\"Beau
Beau Brooks, a teacher at Ignacio High School, works with students Lexy Young, 17, left, and Yllana Howe, 17, during his class Wednesday about Sept. 11 and the Constitution. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Beau Brooks, 25 in 2001, was on his way to a job interview in Detroit and heard the news over the radio. An acquaintance he met while on vacation died in the towers, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was odd to know somebody who was alive one second and wasn\u2019t the next due to the towers falling,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that still sticks with me 20 years later. They were my age, and they never got the chance to have 20 more years of experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty years later, Brooks, now a high school civics teacher in Ignacio, is responsible for teaching the younger generations about Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

Students ask him where he was and what he remembers from that period of time. He explains the changes in daily life for Americans.<\/p>\n

Wars began in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Department of Homeland Security was formed, and the USA PATRIOT Act passed. For some students, it is a surprise to learn there was a time when travelers did not have to remove their shoes at airport security, Brooks said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find it important that these students have never lived in a world that was before a domestic terrorist attack,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Beau
Beau Brooks, a civics teacher at Ignacio High School, said students often ask him where he was and what he remembers from Sept. 11 while learning about the historic day. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Every year, some students are nervous another attack will happen on the anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that always comes up is fear of the anniversary,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd second is fear of people that fall into a certain religion or look like they are from a certain part of the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the attacks, Islamophobia rose, and hate crimes against Muslims spiked 500% between 2000 and 2009, according to a Brown University study<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor students who practice Islam, it\u2019s a tough conversation within their family regarding sharing that with other people,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI\u2019ve been very proud of my students feeling comfortable enough to share that they practice Islam with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, he spent his days teaching about the event. He recognizes the topic can be traumatic and offers students tools to deal with anxiety. His goal is for students to ask: Is the government doing all it can for its people right now? If not, how could it improve?<\/p>\n

One big parallel between 2001 and 2021, he said, is that many people stay focused on finding who is at fault, rather than offering solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to identify what\u2019s wrong, but as citizens, we should say, this is what\u2019s wrong, but here are steps we could take to find a solution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

20th anniversary of terrorist attacks, feelings of trauma and solidarity resurface<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[2478,28,1147],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-44759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-act-of-terror","tag-headlines","tag-war"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86218,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44759\/revisions\/86218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44759"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=44759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}