PASCO COUNTY, Fla (WFLA) – With the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks this weekend, many are reflecting about that tragic day.
Pasco County resident, Fred Mack, is a Marine Corps veteran and a retired NYPD detective. He retired from NYPD years before 9/11 happened, but still had several friends that still worked there.
Following the attacks, Mack received a letter calling for detectives and cops to volunteer and help with search and rescue.
“I got there October 1st and it was still smoking. I have never seen in my life the devastation that was there,” said Fred Mack, retired NYPD detective.
Mack would spend a total of ten days volunteering, trying to help find and identify people.
“It’s a lot easier digging for a stranger than it is a friend or a colleague. I remember there were guys that were sleeping there just to keep on hoping that they find something,” added Mack.
Now, 20 years later, a shadow box in his room reminds him of that day and all the heroes that emerged and the lives that were lost.
“I saw the city of New York become one. Everybody became one. People were helping people,” said Mack.
In the shadow box, Mack has a picture and postcard from 9/11, some of the other items include a piece of blue glass from the widows and a piece of the foundation.
