JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Most Americans who were alive 25 years ago remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11th, 2001. Bruce Pastorini is no exception. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was traveling with another (Army) Corps of Engineers member down at Sunny Isles, Florida, looking at a dredge job when we took a break for lunch, and we saw the film of the first plane crashing in,\u201d said Pastorini.<\/p>\n
At the time, Pastorini was a Structural Specialist Cadre with the Jacksonville District Army Corps of Engineers. It didn\u2019t take long before he got a call to get back to Jacksonville. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got an airplane coming in. They\u2019re sending the General\u2019s airplane from Mississippi to pick up you,\u201d said Pastorini.<\/p>\n
That plane took him to McGuire Air Force Base in Edison, New Jersey. From there he was assigned to work with the Los Angeles Fire Department and California Task Force One, a FEMA search and rescue team.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a structural specialist, you\u2019re supposed to be able to advise, be a technical advisor to the task force commander on anything related to structures,\u201d said Pastorini.<\/p>\n
Pastorini was sent in to examine what was left of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was overwhelming,\u201d said Pastorini. It basically smelled like you\u2019re working in a dump, a dump that had been doused in fuel,\u201d said Pastorini. <\/p>\n
The destruction he witnessed he says he\u2019ll never forget. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had been to hurricane Andrew. I\u2019d been to some earthquakes before this\u2026I hadn\u2019t done that,\u201d said Pastorini. <\/p>\n
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