FLORIDA SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION

8 SHERIFF'S STAR | VOLUME 70 | ISSUE 3 A NATION UNDER ATTACK On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was in Sarasota, visiting Emma E. Booker Elementary School. As he sat with a classroom of second-grade students, his chief of sta• quietly informed him that a second airplane had struck the World Trade Center. In a moment that became one of the most recognizable images of that day, Bush remained with the students, seeking to avoid panic while gathering information before addressing the nation. Florida had also become an unwitting part of the attacks' planning. Three hijacker-pilots — Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah — arrived in Florida in mid-2000 to begin flight training. Atta and al-Shehhi trained at Hu•man Aviation in Venice; Jarrah trained at the nearby Florida Flight Training Center. They moved through the community largely undetected, blending in among the many international students who pursued pilot certificates in Florida each year. FLORIDA'S RESPONSE In the immediate aftermath, Florida became the focus of one of the largest terrorism investigations in U.S. history. Federal, state, and local law enforcement worked to trace the hijackers' movements, contacts, and financial dealings across Florida communities. For deputies and investigators, the work was deeply personal — retracing the steps of men who had rented apartments down the street, trained at familiar airfields, and walked through the same neighborhoods they patrolled every day. Florida's response extended well beyond state lines. In the days following the attacks, first responders from across Florida traveled to 25 YEARS LATER: A DEPUTY REMEMBERS When America came under attack on September 11, 2001, then-Deputy Sheri• Mark Pergola was working the night shift at the Seminole County Sheri•'s Once. Like millions of Americans, he watched in disbelief as the events unfolded. When the second plane struck the World Trade Center, he knew the nation was under attack. In the days that followed, Pergola and his cadaver K-9 partner, Dino, deployed to New York City as part of a nationwide response report. They spent five days at the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, assisting in the careful search and recovery of human remains from debris transported from Ground Zero. Working alongside hundreds of first responders from across the country, Pergola and K-9 Dino contributed to a mission driven by dignity, respect, and a shared commitment to bring closure to grieving families. The work was both physically demanding and emotionally taxing,

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