By Brendan Bishop
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. I had a chance to sit down and talk with somebody who was working as a first responder that day. Mark Husmann was gracious enough to walk me through that infamous day from his perspective. He’s a man who's spent most of his life working as a first responder within the law enforcement community. Currently, he works for the Boulder County District Attorney's Office. He's also my uncle.
At the time of the attacks, Husmann was working as an investigator for Wyoming State law enforcement at the state capitol building in Cheyenne. He was in the thick of his career in law enforcement, married and had a young daughter.
Below is a Q&A with Husmann and his recollections of Sept. 11, 2001.
Anything said in this interview is Husmann’s own opinion and does not represent the Boulder DA's office or the State of Wyoming.
Q: Where were you at the time of the attacks and what were you doing?
A: I was at home at the time the first plane had struck the tower. I was listening to the radio when it happened, and the announcement came in. Though, at the time, I assumed that the plane that had hit was some small private plane. I left for work and showed up to work at the Capitol, and that's when I was told of what was actually going on. And how not only was the plane that crashed not a private or small plane. But it was in fact a passenger liner. Around this time is also when we had just gotten word of the second tower being struck.
Q: What were your initial thoughts about what was happening and what were the responsibilities that you had to fulfill?
A: Well, we obviously didn't know the extent of everything that had happened immediately. Of course, we were getting information quicker than the public, though. When we learned that it was a terrorist attack, the Capitol building immediately went on lockdown. I didn't really have time to think about anything. I had to completely devote myself to my responsibilities. And my job at the time was to ensure the safety and evacuation of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Once they had been evacuated to safety, I stayed in the Capitol building to assist and help where needed or requested.
Q: Did you see any of the attacks or the damage that had taken place on TV?
A: I remember pulling a TV cart into my office from another room. Turning on the TV to the news and seeing the devastation. The smoke, the wreckage. Hearing about people jumping from buildings. The doorway to my office soon was filled with people who remained at the Capitol building with me. People lined up into the hallway trying to see the TV.
Q: Did you have any personal worry about the attacks? If there would be any more, or where they might be?
A: Oh, absolutely. Cheyenne is right next to Warren Air Force Base—the base responsible for all the nuclear missiles stored within Wyoming. We soon saw how it wasn't just the World Trade Center that was hit. But the Pentagon as well, and we heard about the crash in Pennsylvania as well. We had no idea where these attacks could take place or what they could look like.
Q: How soon after were you able to contact your family?
A: I can't remember exactly. It was a few hours after the fact. But I remember telling my wife that “I can't tell you everything that's going on. But we should be making preparations to evacuate if we need to.” Thankfully we didn't have to get to that point. But it was 100% a thought on my mind.
Q: When everything began to settle down. What were the thoughts running through your head? Who and what were you thinking about?
A: The people. I mean all those people. In the buildings and within the planes. These were buildings that had hundreds of people working within them. It was a regular day for all of them. There were calls being made home. People telling their families they loved them and would miss them. It was awful. Obviously, in my line of work, you need to learn to separate yourself from what you see. You can't get emotionally involved. But that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about or sympathizing with those who lost their lives or lost family and loved ones.