WHITEHOUSE, Texas — On Wednesday, people around the world remembered those who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks 23 years ago. As Americans remember those lost, they also honor the men and women who put their lives on the line that day to help save countless more lives.
New York City Police Department officer Christopher Maldonado, who now calls East Texas home, remembers being called into action that day very well.
“Unfortunately, we live it every day,” Maldonado said.
Twenty-three years ago on Sept. 11, 2001, Maldonado was a New York Police Department recruit just two months into the academy.
“At 23 years old, I never experienced anything like that in my life,” Maldonado said. “Twenty-three years ago on Sept. 11, 2001, Maldonado was a New York Police Department recruit just two months into the academy.
He said he remembers that Tuesday morning on the day of 9/11 being a bright, sunny day but that quickly changed.
“It was surreal, because it blocked out the sun,” Maldonado said. "When you got down there, it was total darkness.”
Maldonado was deployed to ground zero after the buildings collapsed. He and other recruits had no idea how severe the situation would ultimately be.
“We thought it was an emergency drill. We thought that we were just in training for an emergency. We didn't know it was real,” Maldonado said.
Maldonado was assigned to the communication section, responsible for radio transmissions and deploying personnel.
“It was all hands on deck. So it was one day you're doing traffic, one day you're doing recovery,” Maldonado said.
He recalled himself and others being in shock of what was happening.
“Seeing the look on the firefighters and the police officers faces after coming out of the towers,” he said. “You had guys just in awe, like you couldn't believe what you were seeing.”
Maldonado worked the site for six days straight and documented everything he saw.
“It's not about being a hero or doing it to get recognition. It's just you do the job because it's a calling, " Maldonado said.
Maldonado lived in New York his whole life, and he still struggles on this day 23 years later. He said he can’t find it in himself to revisit the scene of that tragic event.
“I can't go to the museum and to the site, because everybody sees that as a tourist attraction,” he said. “I see it as a cemetery.”
It’s something people hear every year when this day comes around in September: never forget 9/11, a statement that Maldonado hopes follow as the years go by.
Maldonado also remembers how Sept. 11, 2001 brought the nation closer.
“Unity -- it took that event to bring the country together and I was proud,” Maldonado said. “As an American, that means a lot, and I think that we need it now.”