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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Maryland National Guard was rapidly activated aft the 9/11 attacks and subject constabulary rushed to the Pentagon to bash everything they could to support that site.
On Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers took power of a formation that near Dulles International Airport and they crashed into the Pentagon successful Washington D.C. — 184 lives were mislaid astatine the Pentagon that day.
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“They were conscionable successful your offices doing their job. And this plane, past these terrorists, yeah, deed it and they were conscionable gone,” said Sergeant Major Patrick Metzger.
Hours aft the attack, Sergeant Major Patrick Metzger with the Maryland Army National Guard, was extracurricular the Pentagon assisting with rescue, betterment and information operations.
WJZ’s Linh Bui sat down with Sergeant Metzger to recount his experience.
Bui: “Take america backmost to erstwhile you arrived astatine the Pentagon. Describe what that was like.”
Metzger: “Those aboriginal days astatine the Pentagon, you know, it was rough, a small spot because, you know, you’d hear, ‘hey, we recovered you know, different idiosyncratic deceased, oregon we recovered pieces of the deceased person.’ That’s our awesome of our nation’s military, you know, a full broadside of it was, was destroyed.”
Metzger has spent astir 29 years successful the Maryland National Guard, which included 2 deployments to Afghanistan. He was lone 17 years aged erstwhile helium joined the Marine Corps aft graduating from Calvert Hall successful Baltimore County. Metzger is besides a Maryland State Trooper, Lieutenant.
“I’ve fixed the bulk of my big beingness to work to my state and to the state,” Metzger said.
Lihn Bui asked, “Why person you chosen to sacrifice your clip and hazard your beingness to service the country?”
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“There’s nary greater feeling that to maine than to assistance idiosyncratic successful need,” Metzger answered.
He precocious spoke to a caller people of subject police. He says each bully things travel to an extremity and this period helium volition discontinue from the Maryland National Guard.
“Everybody says you conscionable cognize erstwhile it’s time, you conscionable cognize erstwhile it’s clip to go, and I conscionable cognize it was clip for maine to go. A large determination with my family. I person 2 young children, six and eight,” Metzger said.
Bui: “Reflecting backmost connected your vocation and astir 3 decades of serving the country. How are you feeling?”
Metzger: ” It’s bittersweet. bittersweet. It would beryllium a batch I said to accidental that I’m not going to miss putting connected the uniform. But I request to conscionable adjacent this section and determination on.”
Closing this section arsenic the warfare successful Afghanistan ends and we people the 20th day of 9/11.
Two decades later, the affectional toll remains heavy. Metzger admits he’s ne'er gone backmost to the Pentagon.
“9/11 changed the world. 9/11 changed however we unrecorded each day,” Metzger said.
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