SAN ANTONIO – For Santiago Bueno, Sept. 11, 2001, is not simply a date in American history. It is a day he remembers from inside the Pentagon.
On that significant day, Bueno was serving as a U.S. Army captain, working at the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and crashed into the building.
The attack was one of four coordinated terrorist attacks that morning. Two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, another struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the plane.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, including passengers and crew members aboard the four planes, people working in and around the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and 343 New York City firefighters, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers.
The attacks would reshape the country, launch years of war and leave a lasting impact on millions of Americans, including the service members who answered the call in the years that followed.
For Bueno, the history is personal. And 25 years later, he still remembers the destruction and the people who immediately rushed to help.
Bueno was the youngest member of his office.
“We saw the fireball go up above the walls and we kind of freaked out a little bit,” Bueno told KSAT.
Bueno and his colleagues quickly shut down their operations, secured sensitive material and evacuated the building. But stepping outside made the reality of the attack impossible to ignore.
“What struck me is when we walked out, there were plane parts on the ground,” Bueno said. “So you could see lines and parts of the plane on the ground.”
The evacuation quickly became a massive effort to help those still inside. Bueno said people with medical training were organized to help the injured, while others moved back toward the building.
“It was a sight to see because you saw senior enlisted, you saw generals lining people up,” Bueno said. “Everybody was there to help the folks trapped in the building.”
For Bueno, the response was one of the defining memories of that day. He said watching people put themselves in danger to help others was difficult to fully comprehend.
“The heroism that was shown on that day between D.C. and New York, I mean, it’s profound to even speak and think about it even to this day,” Bueno said.
The aftermath also brought uncertainty, he added. Cellphone service was not working, transportation systems were shut down and thousands of people were trying to find a way home. Bueno eventually made his way back to Fort Belvoir, where he lived at the time. He remembers the security checks, the long journey home and the moment he finally saw his family.
“A lot of self-reflection,” Bueno said. “Then when I got home, just hugging and kissing my wife and the kiddos.”
The attacks also changed the direction of Bueno’s military career. At the time, he had been considering leaving the Army.
However, after 9/11, he said he felt he could not walk away from his oath or from the soldiers he had trained.
“I told my wife, ‘I can’t do it,’” Bueno said. “I’ve got to stay in.”
He went on to serve 21 years in the Army. Today, he serves in a different capacity as the senior Army instructor at Brackenridge High School in San Antonio.
His office is filled with photographs, awards and memorabilia from his military career. Students often ask about the items and his experiences.
Bueno said he wants to help students learn how to think, make decisions and become better citizens.
His experience on 9/11 remains part of that perspective.
“You can’t sometimes control the situation,” Bueno said. “We weren’t ready for that situation. But what you can control is how you react to it.”
As the 25th anniversary approaches, Bueno told KSAT it is important for younger generations to understand the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, particularly by the first responders who ran toward the danger.
“Being a servant leader, sometimes you don’t understand fully the situation that you’re going into, but you’ve got to go into it anyway,” Bueno said.
Bueno added that the memories of that day remain vivid in his mind.
He said remembering 9/11 means more than looking back at the tragedy. It means honoring the lives lost, the first responders who answered the call and the service members who continued to serve in the years that followed.
“We just have to respect those that came before us and understand what they gave so that we are still free,” Bueno said.
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