20 years later, former NYC fire department captain wants the bravery of his fallen colleagues' remembered
'They were responsible for the greatest rescue performed in the civilized world'
FDNY hero reflects on the events of September 11, 2001
Chief national correspondent Connell McShane speaks to Captain Al Fuentes on 'Cavuto: Coast to Coast'
"Never forget. That’s a big thing with me."
Twenty years after the 9/11 terror attacks, former New York City Fire Department Captain Al Fuentes wants a younger generation of Americans to remember the bravery of his fallen colleagues.
"They were responsible for the greatest rescue performed in the civilized world," Fuentes tells FOX Business in reference to the actions of 9/11 first responders. "Over 25,000 people were saved so I look at it like it was one of our finest days."
9/11 FIRST RESPONDERS REFLECT AFTER 20 YEARS
Captain Fuentes should know. He was both a first responder, and one of those saved. Fuentes was heading the department’s marine division on 9/11, and came racing across the harbor from the Brooklyn Navy Yard after the first plane hit. When the South Tower collapsed, he and a group of firefighters that included Deputy Chief Ray Downey rushed in, trying to save people trapped near the Marriott Hotel. That’s when the North Tower came crashing down, right on top of Fuentes and the others.
One World Trade Center appears through the open ceiling of the Oculus, part of the World Trade Center transportation hub in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, the anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks. The transit hall ceiling window was opened just (AP)
"The last thing I remember was Ray (Downey). As it’s collapsing, I’m looking at him and he has his hand up trying to help somebody come out of the lobby." Chief Downey was killed that day, but Fuentes was miraculously saved. Even though he doesn’t remember doing it, the FDNY veteran used his radio to call for help, and a group of firefighters pulled him from the rubble after being trapped for two hours. He was rushed to a fireboat in the marina and taken across the river to a hospital in New Jersey. His injuries included a fractured skull, and it took weeks for Fuentes to emerge from a coma.
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The fight for justice didn’t end in 2001 for Al Fuentes. He recovered from his injuries, and traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2013 to attend a pre-trial hearing for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the attacks. "I remember staring at him and just looking at him and thinking, ‘What did you do?’" After years of delay, that pre-trial hearing just resumed this week. Since Fuentes is still on the witness list, he says he might be called to testify one day, and would welcome the chance.
If any of this makes you feel sorry for the 70-year-old Al Fuentes, he’s the last one who wants you to feel that way. "I have a great life. My wife, my kids. Who’s better than me? I always say that. Who’s better than me?"