Local Veterans, Firefighters Remember 9/11

Osama bin Laden’s death is brought back the painful memories of the attacks on Sept. 11 on Monday for veterans and firefighters here in the Coachella Valley.

“I don’t think anything will make it worth it — (Sept. 11) was pretty devastating,” said Roland Cook. “But it’s good to know that a mass murderer is no longer going to be able to hurt anybody.”

Through a firefighter’s eyes, the images and memoribilia that hang on the walls of Rock’s Firehouse Grill in Palm Desert, taken of ground zero immediately after the horrific terror attacks on 9/11 document an American nightmare.

Cook snapped the photos while on deployment with the Palm Springs Fire Department K-9 unit.

Cook flew to New York on Sept. 11, and as a member of a California task force, he stayed there for 10 days.

Bin Laden’s death won’t wipe away memory of the tragedy, but Cook says it’s a start.

“The images and the smells are still in my mind and that’s something that’ll never go away,” he said. “But this is definitely good news for me.”

Bermuda Dunes resident Capt. Dennis Sadorra says his call to service was inspired by 9/11.

He served two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Army.

Sadorra learned of bin Laden’s death over the radio.

“He was a madman. He was a coward, and in the end, to use a woman to shield yourself, I mean, he’s a sick guy,” said Sadorra. “I think a lot of people — a lot of Americans are just relieved that this guy — the world is rid of some guy like this.”

Jubilation was shared on the streets outside of the White House and at embassies around the world immediately after President Obama’s address to the nation Sunday, declaring the end of bin Laden’s reign of terror.

“There’s many rabbit tails to chase, and in this case, a lot of people thought he was hiding in a cave and in reality he was sitting in a mansion in the country next door,” said Sadorra, who warned that the war against fundamental extremism isn’t over.

Troops are still fighting in Afghanistan, present in Iraq and allied with NATO forces in Libya.

Bin Laden was found in Pakistan — a volatile country with nuclear weapons and home to the lawless region of Waziristan.

The ramifications of quelled and successful uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt are unknown, but “when you hit the top leaders, it affects everyone down the line,” said Sadorra. “I know this is ringing throughout the al-Qaida world that this guys dead, and they just may be next.”