WTC Survivor Hopeful His Story Encourages, Challenges Others
by Chad Groening
September 1, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A survivor of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks who has been immortalized in the recently released film World Trade Center says he hopes people will draw strength from his story when challenged by bad situations of their own. Will Jimeno was a New York Port Authority officer on that fateful September morning almost five years ago. Along with Sergeant John McLoughlin and other officers, he headed into the soon-to-collapse World Trade Center to aid in the rescue effort. But Jimeno and McLoughlin were buried in the rubble when the second tower came down, and they spent hours in agony before being rescued.
Jimeno says he believed they would survive after recalling a story about a child who survived a terrible earthquake earlier that year. He mentions the little girl in the film.
"I actually thought about that," he shares. "A little girl survived in the rubble for a couple of days. She was only two or three years old; and I'm thinking to myself, if this little girl can survive, how can a cop not survive? And it doesn't matter whether you're a cop or not. I think it's just the human spirit."
So Jimeno wants people to be encouraged by his survival story. "When you have stories like this, it's your obligation as a survivor to teach people how you survived so they can also learn from those lessons," says the retired Port Authority officer. "If they're challenged with cancer or a car accident or a bad situation, they can maybe think about our story and draw strength from it."
And while he and Sergeant McLoughlin were rescued in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, Jimeno emphasizes that there were many heroes that day -- and deflects attention from himself and his fellow officer.
"I definitely feel that it's important to not so much remember what me and the sergeant did -- I think what we do is embody what we all went through," he shares. "I think it is time to remember the positive things that occurred that day."
Jimeno recalls a quote from Edmund Burke, who said "All that evil needs to conquer is for good men and women stand by and do nothing ...." On September 11, 2001, says the World Trade Center survivor, there were good men and women.
"And today there are good men and women -- and we need to remember those things," he says. "Especially today, in a time where we're faced with so much negative news, we need to hear the positive stuff."
World Trade Center, directed by Oliver Stone and distributed by Paramount Pictures, opened in U.S. theaters on August 9. Actor Michael Pena portrays Jimeno in the 129-minute movie, and Officer John McLoughlin is played by Nicolas Cage. The film is rated PG-13 for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images, and language.
Read 'The Presence of God in World Trade Center'
an AgapePress movie analysis by Dr. Marc Newman
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
