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Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the people who lived through that morning as first responders, survivors and witnesses told WPTV the memories remain as vivid as ever.
From the rubble of Ground Zero to classrooms in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, the weight of that day continues to shape lives, careers, and communities.
25 YEARS LATER
Former NYPD detective: 'I did not see a Democrat. I didn't see a Republican. I saw Americans.'
Sal Van Casteren told WPTV's Kayla McDermott he was a New York City Police Department detective on September 11. His office was in 6 World Trade Center. A twist of fate kept him away from the building that morning — and he has spent the years since grappling with why.
Sept. 11, 2001, was Election Day in New York City — a detail Van Casteren said many people have forgotten.
"People forget that it was election day in New York. It was a big election," Van Casteren said.
Because of election duty, Van Casteren was assigned to Queens that morning instead of his office at 6 World Trade Center.
"That morning, instead of going to the World Trade Center, I had to go into Queens for election duty," Van Casteren said.
He first learned something was wrong when he heard a report over the police radio.
"In the early morning, when the first airplane hit, I recall hearing it over the radio," Van Casteren said. "We didn't know what was going on."
The second plane changed that.
WATCH: Former NYPD detective Sal Van Casteren reflects on 9/11, loss, and survivor's guilt
"And then the second plane hit, and that's when we all knew something different, something bad, was going on. And that's when I made that decision — considering my office was 6 World Trade Center — that I needed to get downtown immediately," Van Casteren said. "Like so many other first responders, we went towards the situation."
When Van Casteren arrived downtown, the scale of the disaster came into focus.
"I was very concerned with who was in the building, who got out of the building, how bad is this? A lot of unknowns," he said. "Didn't realize how bad things were until I actually got downtown."
One image from that day has never left him.
"One of the lasting visions I have is the firefighters and the NYPD and Port Authority emergency service workers putting on their Scott air packs, getting all their equipment together, and going into those burning buildings," Van Casteren said. "I said to myself, that was the most amazing act of bravery I ever saw in my entire career."
He described the scene after the towers fell as unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"'Apocalyptic' is the perfect word. I've used that word myself many times. Once that second building came down and you were down there, you had absolutely no idea which end was up, which was north, which was south," Van Casteren said. "People were still constantly running. People were in a complete daze."
His office at 6 World Trade Center was destroyed when the North Tower fell.
Working at Ground Zero took devastating toll
Van Casteren was assigned to Ground Zero in the days and weeks that followed.
"We were assigned to be down there every day, and I did that willingly and graciously," he said. "I was there five, six days a week, 12 hours a day. And it didn't bother me in the least."
The work was relentless — and devastating.
"For the hours, the days, the weeks that we were searching and searching and searching, we couldn't find survivors," Van Casteren said. "Every few minutes, people were being located but they had passed on. Everybody would take a step back, be quiet, give a moment of silence while these people were removed from the rubble."
The experience took a toll he didn't fully recognize at the time. A colleague later reminded him of a moment he had no memory of it at all.
"One of my other detectives said to me, 'So, Sal, remember when we met in front of the church and we were looking for my sister for hours, and we eventually found her,'" Van Casteren said. "And I was like, 'I have absolutely no recollection.'"
He came home covered in soot every day.
"It got to a point where you felt you could never get it off you. You can't be clean anymore," Van Casteren said. "Half the time, she just threw out the clothes I came home with. Behind every strong first responder, there's a strong spouse. Without my wife, I would never have gotten through this."
Why these memories matter now
Van Casteren lost friends and colleagues on September 11 — and in the years since.
"A lot of friends, co-workers. Since then, more people have lost their lives than on that day," he said.
Five of his colleagues from ATF also died.
"Guys who I stood shoulder to shoulder with every day there, and they were young," Van Casteren said. "It was just never ending. Just saying to myself: Why?"
That question has stayed with Van Casteren.
"To this day, you still wonder why. Why were you spared? Why was I spared? Why were your parents spared?" he said. "I struggle with it. I've been told it's called survivor's guilt."
His faith has helped him find an answer.
"I go back to my faith, and I say to myself, 'God had a different plan.' Maybe one of the things in His plan is for me to be here talking to you, letting other people know we can never forget what took place that day. We can never forget the sacrifice these first responders made," Van Casteren said. "It's still very emotional. I still have those pictures vividly, constantly. They'll never pass, and they shouldn't pass."
Van Casteren said one of the things he holds onto from those weeks at Ground Zero is what he saw among the people working alongside him.
WATCH: Sal Van Casteren shares with WPTV's Kayla McDermott what he wants America to remember 25 years later
"In those days and weeks after, when I was on that pile, I did not see a Democrat. I didn't see a Republican. I didn't see an Independent," he said. "I didn't see white people, Black people. I saw Americans. We were all together. We pulled together."
The gratitude from the public was also something he said he will never forget.
"I don't think I paid for a cup of coffee or a breakfast for quite some time, and it was overwhelming, and it was very, very gratifying, and I'll never forget that either," Van Casteren said. "This was an event of epic proportion. This was the greatest example of how we live up to our oath — to do whatever we can to help and protect the people we serve."
After the attacks, Van Casteren visited his daughter's school to speak with fourth and fifth graders. He brought them a piece of the World Trade Center. The children responded with cards, posters and letters.
"I had to do everything I could not to break down," Van Casteren said.
One letter stood out above all the awards, coins, and plaques he has received over the years.
"There was one in here that struck me, because it was a little boy," Van Casteren said. "He wrote, 'Mr. Van Casteren, thank you so much. My friend Tommy's dad passed away, and he still sad every day about it.' With all these awards and coins and plaques, this is my most precious memory."
He said he hopes the memory of September 11 can serve as a reminder of what Americans are capable of when they come together.
"If there's one message I'd like to pass on today, it's this: If we could just try to get back to decency — maybe use this as a remembrance. And hopefully, we can get to some place where it's better than it is now," he said.
Former NYPD officer: 'Everybody says time heals all — we're still waiting'
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Frank Frangella still carries the memories of what he witnessed at Ground Zero.
The Martin County School District's chief of safety security was a New York City Police Department officer when terrorists struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"It's always there and there are always little things that remind you of what happened," Frangella said from his office, surrounded by photos, statues and a book of memories honoring those lost in the attacks.
Frangella told WPTV's Ashley Glass that he was asleep after working the midnight shift when his wife woke him with news that would change his life forever.
"I was actually asleep when the first plane hit and my wife woke me up and she goes, a plane just hit the World Trade Center," Frangella said. "There was a big hole in that building and I knew right away what that was, so I just started dressing."
The weather that morning remains etched in his memory.
WATCH: Former NYPD Officer Frank Frangella reflects on 9/11
"The one thing I remember from that day, soon as I walked out of the house, it was the most beautiful day in the world," Frangella said. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and I'm thinking to myself driving to where I was going, how can this happen on such a beautiful day."
Initially assigned to help intake victims at a Staten Island triage area, Frangella waited for hours as no injured survivors arrived.
"No one. No injured. Nothing at all," Frangella said. "It was like what's happening, you know. We're not getting any information."
With communication systems failing, Frangella and fellow officers decided to take a boat directly to Ground Zero. What they found defied comprehension.
"By that time, both buildings were down. And I mean it looked like a war zone," Frangella said. "It was literally a pile, and it was huge."
The scale of destruction was unlike anything Frangella had ever seen.
"You figure two of the largest buildings in Manhattan, you didn't see a desk. A phone. A wire. Nothing that resembled an office building," he said. "Everything was pulverized."
What began as a rescue mission quickly became a recovery operation.
Remembering 9/11
Former NYPD officer who worked Ground Zero leads Martin County school safety
"Everybody that was down there was doing it, because they wanted to save lives," Frangella said. "And then we found out pretty quickly on that there was no lives to save, and it was a recovery mission more than anything else."
Despite their efforts, Frangella's team did not find any survivors. The emotional toll of those days followed Frangella home.
"A few weeks later, I remember sitting home and it all hit," he said. "I just started crying and I don't even know why I was crying."
The dust-covered uniforms from Ground Zero created an unexpected memorial in the Frangella household.
"We had a washing machine in the basement that she was washing all my clothing with and how many souls were in that wash," Frangella said. "So, it was almost like a shrine in my house. We never used it again after 9/11 because it was like, it just felt wrong to use it."
Today, Frangella applies his experience from that day to his role protecting Martin County's school children. He often shares his story with students, creating powerful moments of connection.
WATCH: Frank Frangella shares his 9/11 experience with WPTV's Ashley Glass
"This little girl about this big walks over to me and she says, 'Can I hug you?' When that little girl came over, there wasn't a dry eye in the house," Frangella said. "I mean everybody started crying and she just said thank you. It was the most amazing thing in the world."
Despite his role in the response efforts, Frangella has never visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
"I was there when it happened. I don't need to relive it again," he said.
Twenty-five years later, Frangella honors not just his own experience, but that of every person who responded that day.
"There are thousands upon thousands of stories. This is just mine," he said. "Everybody said that time heals all, and I know for me and everybody who was down there -- we're still waiting."
'United States is way more prepared'
Political science professor Dr. Robert Rabil at Florida Atlantic University told WPTV Chief Investigative Reporter Jamie Ostroff that he was in Washington, D.C., when the attacks unfolded.
"I was sitting in my office, and then I received a call from my brother, William. William called me, and he told me, Robert, you would never know what happened," Rabil said.
Rabil said the scale and coordination of the attacks was unlike anything the country had faced.
WATCH: FAU Professor Dr. Robert Rabil shares with WPTV Chief Investigative Reporter Jamie Ostroff how everyday life has changed
"How big it was, how sophisticated it was really, and how they did it, and how they pulled it off," Rabil said.
He told WPTV the attacks prompted sweeping changes to how law enforcement agencies share information and work together.
"They had embedded local and state police with the FBI to work together. Of course, they had the PATRIOT Act, which allowed search warrants, which allowed again to share information easily," Rabil said. "So today, the United States is way more prepared to protect its the homeland. Now, there is no such things as 100%, but today United States is way better than before."
He said the changes extended beyond security agencies to everyday life.
"It changed somehow the daily life of us, the citizen," Rabil said. "If you want to go to the airport now you have to go through procedures."
WE NEVER FORGET
Boynton Beach captain honors cousin killed in the attacks
Capt. Paul Deale is the most senior officer at the Boynton Beach Police Department, with 29 years on the force. But it was only 3 and a half years into his career, in 2001, that his family's life turned upside down.
On September 11, Deale's cousin, Pamela Boyce, died inside the World Trade Center North Tower. Boyce worked for Carr Futures on the 92nd floor. American Airlines Flight 11 struck the 93rd through 99th floors.
"Because of the plane hitting and debris falling and jet fuel, stuff like that, the escape exits were blocked and she was stuck there," Deale said.
Deale told WPTV's Mike Trim, he learned of his cousin's death two weeks later.
"It was like sadness, devastation, you lose a family member. It was like, you're cold you don't know how to react. It's like you're frozen," he said.
WATCH: Capt. Paul Deale shares how he continues to honor his cousin years after her death
The two grew up together in Brooklyn, where family was everything.
"We lived in Brooklyn. Everybody lived on the same street in Brooklyn," Deale said. "Family reunions, like Christmas, Thanksgiving. Her favorite holiday was Thanksgiving because you know, family."
Born and raised in New York, Deale felt compelled to return to the city after the attacks — even though, as a law enforcement officer in South Florida, he was not authorized to respond.
"I just felt that I wanted to help the people. You know what I'm saying? I'm law enforcement," he said. "For me I wasn't allowed to but I still felt in my heart that it was a good feeling to actually go up there and attempt."
Remembering 9/11
Boynton Beach captain honors cousin killed in 9/11 attacks
It was not the last time he would make the trip. Now, every year, Deale returns to the memorial with his wife and sons.
"We make a pilgrimage every year and we go to the World Trade Center. Every time we visit New York, we go right down to the memorial site," he said. "I always look for her name, I know exactly where it is and my kids put a flower in it."
The street where Deale and Boyce grew up in Brooklyn now bears her name. This summer, Deale brought a basketball team from the Boynton Beach Police Athletic League to a tournament in New York City and took them to the memorial.
For Deale, keeping Boyce's memory alive is a legacy he wants to pass down — especially to his son.
"Eventually when he gets older and he has kids he can bring them there and say, this is my dad's cousin who's a relative of mine as well and we're memorializing her name forever," Deale said. "That's the legacy I want."
WATCH: Jevon Castrillo reflects on loss of his mother on 9/11, birth of his son
'Wish my mom was here to experience this with me'
Jevon Castrillo reflected with WPTV's Jon Shainman on the loss of his mother Cee Cee Ross Lyles and the birth of his son.
"It's not a normal loss in the family, you lose family member, you have a funeral and in this case it's very public type of loss," he said.
Lyles was a flight attendant on board flight 93 that crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the crew prevented the hijackers from reaching another target.
Castrillo was 6 years old when it happened. Decades later, he continues to honor his mother and wished his son could've met her.
“This has changed my perspective completely,” he said. "He's a blessing and I only wish my mom was here to experience this with me."
Teaching a generation born after 9/11
For Ayleen Charles, a social studies teacher at Sunlight Christian Academy, the challenge is helping students understand a world they never knew.
"They're shocked when I tell them we used to be able to go to the airport, pass what would be TSA now, and actually see the airplanes take off," she said. "They don't know what it's like to be in a world that was not shaped by 9/11."
Charles said she works to make the history feel real for her students.
WATCH: Sunlight Christian Academy teacher Ayleen Charles shares with WPTV's Zitlali Solache how she keeps 9/11 memory alive
"I let them read firsthand accounts of voicemails that were left from people on the airplane," she said. "I want students to remember the realness of what I taught them. I want them to remember that this is not just something printed in a history book."
For Charles, the mission is personal and urgent.
"People deserved to be remembered. The people that lost their lives, because of an act of hatred," she said. "They deserved to be remembered. Their legacy deserves to be carried on."
