(Heart of Illinois ABC) -- From more than 800 miles away, our own brave souls went right to the heart of the 9-11 terror attacks.
Many local first responders from Central Illinois made the trip to New York in the weeks and months following September 11 to help responders there honor and bury their dead.
For Captain Aaron Meuser of the Peoria Fire Department, the memories are flooding back 20 years later.
"8,10,15 blocks away, the concrete dust was 15 feet high on the buildings," Meuser said. "All the windows were basically blacked out from the dust."
Meuser says when he looks back on the experience, he remembers feeling a mix of emotions about New York's first responders.
"It's a strange combination of being very proud of what you know [first responders] went through, and you know being sad for them and their families," Meuser said.
Meuser wasn't the only Central Illinoisan to make the trek. Pekin Battalion Chief Rob Baughman also travelled to New York and says seeing ground zero was an unforgettable experience.
"They took us up to I guess the viewing platform that was built, where you saw a lot of the press conferences took place, and allowed us to overlook the operations going on at ground zero," Baughman said. "Just the magnitude and the size was unbelievable."
Both say despite the tragedy, they experienced some of the best of humanity while on their trip.
"There was a lot of comradery there," Baughman said. "When we got back, the group of guys that went, we got together later, just sharing our experiences together."
Ray LaHood was a U.S. Congressman at the time and was in Washington D.C. on 9-11. He says first responders deserve our lasting gratitude.
"Actually going into those buildings not knowing they were going to collapse on them," LaHood said. "Trying to rescue people… I think most Americans came to the realization that first responders were the true heroes of 9-11."
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September 10, 2021 at 06:12AM
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20 years later: Local first responders remember 2001 New York trip - HOI ABC
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