Two Albuquerque firefighters remember 9/11

ATTACKS. PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE STATE ARE PAUSING TO REMEMBER. AND THAT INCLUDES TWO ALBUQ...  More »

ATTACKS. PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE STATE ARE PAUSING TO REMEMBER. AND THAT INCLUDES TWO ALBUQUERQUE FIREFIGHTERS WHO WERE SENT ON A MISSION THEY WOULD LOVE TO FORGET. JEFF MAHER SPOKE TO THEM. HE'S LIVE AT SACRED HEART CHURCH IN BARELAS. A SPECIAL MASS IS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW AT SACRED HEART CHURCH TO REMEMBER THE VICTIMS OF 9/11. FOR MOST - THE CLOSEST THEY'LL GET TO THE REALITY OF THAT EVENT IS WITH THE BELL TOWER - MADE UP OF TWO BEAMS FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. BUT TWO ALBUQUERQUE FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN A LOT CLOSER. 'it was difficult. the entire thing was difficult.'from beginning to end? 'from beginning to end' DEPUTY CHIEF GIL SANTISTEVAN REMEMBERS THE DAY CLEARLY. SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001. AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK. SANTISTEVAN IS CALLED TO RESPOND. 'we found out that we were going to be deployed as part of a 58 person search and rescue task force either to the world trade center or the pentagon' THE TEAM WAS SENT TO THE PENTAGON - WHERE MORE THAN 120 WERE KILLED AFTER ONE OF THE HIJACKED PLANES SLAMMED INTO ITS SIDE. 'at that point we were uncertain if we were in a rescue mode or a recovery mode but certainly we had high hopes of accomplishing something worthwhile'ONCE THERE - THE REALITY SET IT. IT WAS A RECOVERY EFFORT. HIS TEAM HELPED LOCATE THE BODIES. LIEUTENANT DAVE WEAVER WAS ALSO THERE - AND SAYS IT WAS SURREAL. 'even to the point where we were looking down, looking for something to sit on - we're sitting on the telephone pole that was struck but the aircraft that flew into the pentagon. just those little things really brought the drama to it'FOR THESE FIREFIGHTERS - IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE THEY WILL CARRY FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. 'to be honest it's kind of a difficult memory to carry, much like my chief just said I was very angry, and wanted to participate and even ent soldiers at war in the two fronts - iraq and afghanistan'DEPUTY CHIEF SANTISTEVAN ALSO RESPONDED TO THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING. BUT HE SAYS THE 9-11 EXPERIENCE WAS MUCH DIFFERENT AND FAR MORE EMOTIONAL. LIVE IN BARELAS. JEFF MAHER. EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR.  « Less