Jason Thomas
Encyclopedia
Jason Thomas is a former U.S. Marine
who located and rescued people after the September 11, 2001 attacks
in New York City
. With David W. Karnes, he helped find a pair of Port Authority Police officers buried in the rubble of the World Trade Center
.
Thomas told the Associated Press
: "Someone needed help. It didn't matter who," he said. "I didn't even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, 'My city is in need.'"
After hours of firefighting, assisting survivors and in some cases, praying over the dead, Thomas ran into another former Marine, Staff Sgt. Dave Karnes
. Thomas presented a plan for a search-and-rescue mission of the area, and he and Karnes tried to enlist other soldiers on site to help. When they were told the mission was too dangerous, they decided to go by themselves. “I found a couple guys, but it wasn’t enough, to them, to start a search and rescue,” he said. “I remember myself and Karnes saying, ‘We’re going to start the search and rescue with or without you, because someone needs us.’”
Carrying little more than flashlights and an infantryman's shovel, they climbed the mountain of debris, skirting dangerous crevasses and shards of red-hot metal, calling out, "Is anyone down there? United States Marines!" It was dark before they heard a response. The two crawled into a deep pit to find two men, injured but alive. Thomas and Karnes found Will Jimeno
and John McLoughlin
, a pair of police officers buried in the rubble.
Thomas said he returned to Ground Zero every day to pitch in, before attempting to put the events behind him. He did not even tell his five children about his rescues. He had identified himself to Karnes and others only as "Sergeant Thomas."
, a Columbus suburb with his wife and four children. He works as an officer in Ohio's Supreme Court.
's feature film, World Trade Center, by white actor William Mapother
. Stone has said he was not aware that Thomas was black until filming was already underway.
On February 11, 2007, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
aired a special two-hour episode about Thomas and his family. Following the attacks, Thomas and his wife had moved their four children from New York to Whitehall, Ohio
. The house they bought began to deteriorate and the show intervened to help them.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
who located and rescued people after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. With David W. Karnes, he helped find a pair of Port Authority Police officers buried in the rubble of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
.
September 11, 2001 World Trade Center rescue
On September 11, 2001, Thomas was dropping his daughter off at the home of his mother in Long Island when she told him planes had struck the towers. The 27-year-old Thomas, having left active duty a year earlier, quickly put on his Marine uniform, sped to Manhattan and had just parked his car when one of the towers collapsed. Thomas ran toward the center of the ash cloud.Thomas told the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
: "Someone needed help. It didn't matter who," he said. "I didn't even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, 'My city is in need.'"
After hours of firefighting, assisting survivors and in some cases, praying over the dead, Thomas ran into another former Marine, Staff Sgt. Dave Karnes
Dave Karnes
David W. Karnes is a retired U.S. Marine, who with Jason Thomas located and helped rescue two police officers trapped in the rubble from the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center.-During the 9/11 attacks:...
. Thomas presented a plan for a search-and-rescue mission of the area, and he and Karnes tried to enlist other soldiers on site to help. When they were told the mission was too dangerous, they decided to go by themselves. “I found a couple guys, but it wasn’t enough, to them, to start a search and rescue,” he said. “I remember myself and Karnes saying, ‘We’re going to start the search and rescue with or without you, because someone needs us.’”
Carrying little more than flashlights and an infantryman's shovel, they climbed the mountain of debris, skirting dangerous crevasses and shards of red-hot metal, calling out, "Is anyone down there? United States Marines!" It was dark before they heard a response. The two crawled into a deep pit to find two men, injured but alive. Thomas and Karnes found Will Jimeno
Will Jimeno
William J. Jimeno is a Port Authority Police officer who survived the September 11 attacks. He was buried under the rubble for a total of 13 hours, but survived, along with fellow Port Authority officer John McLoughlin....
and John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin (World Trade Center attack survivor)
John McLoughlin is one of two Port Authority Police Officers who survived after being trapped in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center...
, a pair of police officers buried in the rubble.
Thomas said he returned to Ground Zero every day to pitch in, before attempting to put the events behind him. He did not even tell his five children about his rescues. He had identified himself to Karnes and others only as "Sergeant Thomas."
Personal
Thomas now lives in Whitehall, OhioWhitehall, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,201 people, 8,343 households, and 4,930 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,681.9 people per square mile . There were 8,997 housing units at an average density of 1,725.2 per square mile...
, a Columbus suburb with his wife and four children. He works as an officer in Ohio's Supreme Court.
In film and TV
Thomas, an African American, was portrayed in Oliver StoneOliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's feature film, World Trade Center, by white actor William Mapother
William Mapother
William Reibert Mapother, Jr. is an American actor and former teacher, perhaps best known for his role as Ethan Rom on the television series Lost.-Personal life:...
. Stone has said he was not aware that Thomas was black until filming was already underway.
On February 11, 2007, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
aired a special two-hour episode about Thomas and his family. Following the attacks, Thomas and his wife had moved their four children from New York to Whitehall, Ohio
Whitehall, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,201 people, 8,343 households, and 4,930 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,681.9 people per square mile . There were 8,997 housing units at an average density of 1,725.2 per square mile...
. The house they bought began to deteriorate and the show intervened to help them.
See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McLoughlin_(World_Trade_Center_attack_survivor)External links
- Heroes Helping Humanity, The non-profit organization founded by Jason Thomas