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Hernando Today

9/11 Remembered

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By KYLE MARTIN

Published: September 11, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, changed America on so many levels it can be difficult to get a grip on the day's significance.

Sometimes it takes a snapshot to understand the big picture.

Sift through the war, the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay and Osama bin Laden and the story is told through the lives of the thousands of people directly affected by that tragic morning.

People like Louis Montalvo.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., the twin towers of the World Trade Center were always in the backdrop of his life. The soaring structures were always a welcome sight when driving home on the New Jersey Turnpike.

On the morning of Sept. 11, Montalvo, 45, was watching airplanes from a parking lot at John F. Kennedy Airport. His ex-wife and 4-year-old son were traveling to Tampa and their plane was somewhere on the tarmac.

He missed the first jet hitting the North Tower. The first trickle of information coming in was that a plane had struck the building. He was watching the smoke pour out of the tower when a dark shadow passed overhead. It was the second jet bearing down on the South Tower.

The explosion was unforgettable, he said. "Children are not easily replaced."

His thoughts immediately turned to his loved ones. Were they in the air or still taxiing on the tarmac? Reluctantly, Montalvo decided there was nothing he could do for them, so he decided to pick up his other two children from school.

He was almost there when his wife called his phone. They were safe. Montalvo turned around and headed back to the airport to pick them up. When he arrived, he scooped his son into his arms and squeezed him tight.

"I was so happy to see my son," he said.

His son had seen the events on a television aboard the plane.

"Daddy, we saw a plane hit a building," the youngster announced.

Together the family went back to the school to pick up the other children and return to Montalvo's parents' home.

The construction company Montalvo worked for asked if he would volunteer to help clean up debris. He was ready Sept. 12.

Montalvo describes ground zero as a war zone. A place as familiar as his backyard had become an unrecognizable scene of carnage and destruction. Dust and debris spread 15 to 20 blocks from the ruins of the crumpled towers.

The bus he was riding to ground zero was stopped at 10 different checkpoints. No one was taking any chances.

For more than a week, Montalvo searched for survivors in the rubble. Mostly they found body parts. Even with goggles on, the dust irritated his eyes and he had to occasionally visit one of the nearby medical stations to flush out the grit.

He could feel the heat from the fires burning deep below the wreckage. The smell of burning flesh permeated the air.

"I don't know how many people were down there that we couldn't help," Montalvo said.

He worked on autopilot, hours and hours of lifting debris, climbing into holes, shouting for survivors. Occasionally he would lean against a wall and take a catnap for an hour.

Eventually he had to return to his family.

A Change In Perspective

The events of 9/11 deeply affected Montalvo. His cavalier attitude toward life was replaced with a healthy respect for how quickly events can take a turn for the worse.

"It gave me a sense of purpose," he said. "You never know if you're going to be here tomorrow."

He travels once a year to Tampa to have his breathing checked after ground zero volunteers nationwide began showing signs of respiratory illness. Claustrophobia has gripped him ever since 9/11. Crawling into close spaces that reek of death can do that.

He watched patriotism swell in the early years, then attendance taper off at memorial services as the years passed. Life and busy schedules apparently intervened.

His experiences that day will never let him forget.

"In order to appreciate it, you have to be part of it," Montalvo said.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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